a.    ^^B- 


MT^        ff    2- 


In  Spirit,  in  Purpose 
And  in  Action 


THE  STORY 


OF  THE 


MASSACHUSETTS  COMMITTEE 
ON   PUBLIC  SAFETY 


February   10,    191  7  --  November  21 ,    1918 


By 
GEORGE  HINCKLEY   LYMAN 


ADVERSIS   MAJOR   PAR   SECUNDIS 


COPYRIGHTED  BY  GEORGE  HINCKLEY  LYMAN 

FOR 
MASSACHUSETTS  COMMITTEE  ON   PUBLIC  SAFETY 


BOSTON 

URIC. Ill       ,      POTTER     PRINTING    CO..    STATE     PRINTERS 

32     DLRNE    STREET 


PREFACE 


The  .accompanying  synopsis  of  the  part  taken  in  the 
Great  War  by  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public 
Safety,  written  at  the  request  of  His  Excellency  Governor 
McCall  and  members  of  the  Executive  Committee,  aims 
merely  to  present  a  general  chronicle  of  its  activities  and  the 
relation  of  its  undertaking  to  the  State  and  to  the  people. 

With  the  very  large  number  of  subjects  involved,  to 
attempt  a  full  and  elaborated  account  of  its  work  would  not 
only  fill  volumes,  but  be  quite  sure  to  exhaust  the  patience 
of  the  reader.  Nor  could  any  single  person,  however  well 
equipped  with  a  general  knowledge  of  what  the  Committee 
brought  about,  adequately  portray  the  ideals  and  accom- 
plishments of  those  sub-committees  of  which  he  was  not 
himself  a  directing  influence,  and  give  proper  credit  to  their 
individual  members.  Accordingly,  it  has  been  attempted  to 
present  a  resume  of  the  conditions  obtaining  at  the  time  the 
Committee  came  into  being,  and  which  made  the  demand 
for  its  formation,  together  with  a  general  outline  of  the  work 
done.  It  has  also  been  found  necessary,  especially  in  treat- 
ing of  the  larger  functions  of  the  Committee,  to  append 
certain  tabulations  rather  than  to  include  them  in  the  body 
of  the  text.  The  chairmen  of  the  sub-committees  undertook 
to  be  responsible  for  results,  and  both  chairmen  and  per- 
sonnel are  entitled  to  full  praise  for  the  successful  outcome 
of  their  Committee's  work;  yet  the  amount  of  credit  due  to 
any  one  committee  has  in  most  cases  to  be  gathered  from 
its  own  records  as  the  chief  dependable  statement  of  its 
contributions  to  the  general  result.  The  privilege  has,  there- 
fore, been  assumed,  without  acknowledgment  to  the  original 
sources,  of  borrowing  the  ideas  and  even  the  wording  as 
contained  in  reports   submitted   by   chairmen  of  sub-com- 

iii 


mittees.  The  same  is  true  as  regards  the  press  and  other 
outside  agencies,  thus  making  this  story  to  a  certain  degree 
composite  in  its  relation. 

To  present  a  mere  stilted  record  of  the  activities  of  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety  would  strangle  all  imagination. 
Likewise  any  effort  accurately  to  portray  so  vital  a  part  of 
the  Commonwealth's  history  during  those  wonderful,  stir- 
ring times  would  be  adjudged  unseasonable.  Nor  is  a 
literary  effort  asked  for  or  warranted.  It  is,  therefore, 
assumed  that  a  simple,  unvarnished  tale  as  gathered  from 
reports  and  the  personal  observation  of  those  intimately 
associated  with  the  work  will  best  meet  every  requirement. 

GEORGE   HINCKLEY  LYMAN. 

July,   1919. 


IV 


CONTENTS 


Part  I  page 

Chapter  I.  —  General  Conditions, 1 

Chapter  II.  —  Organization  of  Provisional  and  Executive  Commit- 
tees,          6 

Chapter  III.  —  Anticipating  War, .11 

State  Organization  and  Preparatory  Committees: 

Committee  on  Finance, 14 

Committee  on  Co-ordination  of  Aid  Societies,    ....  16 

Committee  on  Industrial  Survey, 18 

Committee  on  Transportation, 19 

Committee  on  Federal  and  State  Legislation,    .        .        .        .21 

Committee  on  Mobilization  and  Concentration  Camps,          .  24 

Committee  on  Horses, 25 

Committee  on  Trucks  and  Motor  Cars, 25 

Committee  on  Publicity, 26 

Chapter  IV.  —  Local  Defense, 28 

Committee  on  Land  Forces, 28 

Committee  on  State  Protection, 29 

State  Guard, 33 

Committee  on  Naval  Forces, 36 

Chapter  V.  —  Local  Defense  (continued), 40 

Committee  on  Military  Equipment  and  Supplies,         ...  43 

Relations  with  Washington  on  Equipment, 47 

Committee  on  Emergency  Help  and  Equipment,          ...  49 

Committee  on  Recruiting, 52 

Chapter  VI.  —  Committee  on  Prevention  of  Social  Evils  surround- 
ing Military  Camps, 62 

Chapter   VII.  —  Intelligence   Work;    German   Propaganda    in   Re- 
ligious Organizations, 80 

Chapter  VIII.  —  Special  Committee  Work, 83 

Military  Organization  Schools, 83 

Liberty  Bonds, 83 

Volunteer  Dental  Committee, 84 

Chiropodist  Preparedness  Committee, 85 

Peter  Bent  Brigham  Hospital  Unit, 87 


Chapter  VIII  —  Concluded.  page 

Radio  School, 88 

Speakers'  Bureau, 90 

Four-minute  Men, .91 

Chapter  IX.  —  Organization  and  Employees, 92 

Office  Rooms, 95 

Part  II 

Labor  Controversies  and  Arbitrations, 97 

Specific  Arbitrations  and  Settlements: 

I.    Gloucester  Fishermen, 101 

II.    Market-garden  Teamsters, 102 

III.  Dock   Freight  Handlers   connected   with   Locals   809 

and  822  of  the  International  Longshoremen's  Asso- 
ciation,         104 

IV.  Boston  &  Maine  Machinists, 107 

V.   Fore  River  Machinists,  Reamers  and  Bolters,  .110 

VI.    Lynn  Shoe  Controversy, 113 

VII.    Boston  Elevated  Carmen, 121 

VIII.   Street  Railways  operated  in  Worcester,   Springfield, 

Attleboro  and  Surrounding  Towns,      .        .        .        .125 

IX.    Telephone  Operators  outside  Metropolitan  Boston,      .  128 

X.   Coal  Teamsters  of  Boston  and  Vicinity,         .        .        .  131 

XL   Lowell  Textile  Mills, 132 

XII.   American  Woolen  Company  Mills, 134 

Part  III 

Miscellaneous  Activities, 140 

Chapter  I.  —  Committee  on  the  Solicitation  of  Funds  for  Patriotic 

Purposes, 143 

Chapter  II.  —  Committee  on  New  England  Sawmill  Units,        .        .  15G 
Chapter   III.  —  Committee   on   Mobilization   of   School   Boys   for 

harm  Service, 160 

Chapter  IV.  —  Committee  on  War  Efficiency, 183 

Chapter  V.  —  Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief  Committee,     .        .        .189 
Chapter  VI. 

Committee  on  Commonwealth  Military  Emergency  Hospital,    .  213 
Committee  on  Training  and  Instruction  of  Disabled  Soldiers 

and  Sailors, 210 

Committee    on    Highways    Transport  —  Council    of    National 

Defense, 218 

Chapter  VII. 

Committee  on  Americanization, 220 

Committee  on  Landlord  and  Tenant  —  War  Profiteering,  .        .  222 

vi 


Chapter  VII  —  Concluded.  page 

Committee  on  Commercial  Economy, 228 

Committee  on  Non-War  Construction, 231 

Chapter  VIII.  —  Influenza  Epidemic  of  the  Autumn  of  1918.    Emer- 
gency Health  Committee, 234 

Part  IV 

Women's  Activities, 256 

Chapter  I.  —  Massachusetts  Division,   Woman's   Council   of  Na- 
tional Defense, 258 

Chapter  II.  —  Committee  on  Child  Welfare,  Woman's  Council  of 

National  Defense, 262 

Chapter  III.  —  Committee  on  Women  in  Agriculture,         .        .        .  274 

Chapter  IV.  —  Committee  on  Health  and  Recreation,         .        .        .  278 
Chapter  V.  —  Committee  for  the  Maintenance  of  Existing  Social 

Agencies, 280 

Chapter  VI.  —  The  Army  and  Navy  Yarn  Shop  Committee,     .        .  287 

Chapter  VII.  —  Committee  on  Education, 290 

Chapter  VIII.  —  Committee  on  Women  in  Industry,           .        .        .  294 

Chapter  IX.  —  Committee  on  Publicity, 301 


Part  V 

Massachusetts  Food  Administration, 
Chapter  I.  —  Personnel  and  Introduction, 
Chapter  II.  —  Finances  and  Organization, 

(a)  Finances, 

(6)   County  Food  Administration  Division, 

(c)    Zone  No.  1  Organization,    . 
Chapter  III.  —  Production,       .... 

(a)  Committee  on  Food  Production, 

(b)  Direct  Buying  and  Community  Markets 
Chapter  IV.  —  Conservation  and  Publicity, 

(a)  Home  Economics,         .... 

(b)  Canning  without  Sugar, 

(c)  The  Food  Administration  Home  Card,  1917-18, 

(d)  No  White  Bread  Week,      . 

(e)  Garbage  Committee,   .... 
(/)  State  Merchant  Representative, 
(g)  Food  Administration  Bulletin,  . 
(h)  Literature  Division,     .... 
(i)  Fair  Exhibits,  1918,     .... 

Chapter  V.  —  Regulation  of  Food  Trades, 
(a)  License  Division,  .... 

(6)   Division  of  Enforcement,    . 


.  306 
306,  307 
316 
316 
317 
321 
324 
324 
355 
362 
362 
370 
371 
376 
377 
380 
383 
384 
384 
386 
386 
397 


VI 1 


Chapter  V  —  Concluded.  page 

(c)  Cold  Storage  and  Flour  Stock, 402 

(d)  Price  Division, 403 

Chapter  VI.  —  Public  Eating  Places  and  Bakers,         ....  405 

(a)  Hotels  and  Restaurants, 405 

(6)   Baking  Division, 411 

Chapter  VII.  —  Food  Commodities, 415 

(a)  Cereal  Division, 415 

(b)  Grain  and  Feed  Division, 428 

(c)  Potato  Committee, 433 

(d)  Federal  Milk  Commission  for  New  England,          .        .        .  434 

(e)  Campaign  for  Wider  Use  of  Dairy  Products,  .        .        .441 

(/)    Committee  on  Fish, 441 

(g)   Poultry  and  Eggs, 449 

(h)  Sugar  Division, 452 

(i)    Committee  on  Ice, 457 

(j)    The  Banana  Episode, 462 

Chapter  VIII.  —  Transportation  and  Adjustment  Division,       .  .     .  464 

Chapter  IX.  —  Fuel  Supply  for  Food  Industries,          ....  467 

Part  VI 

Fuel  Administration, 468 

New  England  Coal  Committee, 468 

Causes  of  Coal  Shortage  in  New  England, 469 

Organization  of  New  England  Coal  Committee,    ....  472 

Organization  of  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration,              .  478 

Bituminous  Shortage  during  Winter  of  1917-18,  ....  482 

Distribution  of  Soft  Coal  by  New  England  Fuel  Administration,  491 

Improvement  in  Bituminous  Situation, 495 

The  Anthracite  Shortage, 498 

Part  VII 

Treasurer's  Report, 507 

Dissolution  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety,       .  529 


Vlll 


APPENDICES 


PAGE 

Executive    Committee    of    Massachusetts    Committee    on    Public 

,  Safety  and  Sub-Committees, 537 

Chairmen  of  Public  Safety  Committees  in  Cities  and  Towns  in 

Massachusetts, 542 

New  England  Sawmill  Units, 550 

Recreational  Equipment  and  Library  Privilege, 552 

Massachusetts  Halifax  Health  Commission  —  Act  creating.      .        .  554 
Chairmen  of  Woman's  Committees,  Council  of  National  Defense, 

in  Cities  and  Towns  in  Massachusetts, 557 

Prices  fixed  by  the  Federal  Milk  Commission   for  New  England,  567 

Food  Committees, 568 

Town  and  City  Food  Administrators, 572 

Calendar,  Home  Economics  Committee,  March,  1917,  to  November, 

1918, 580 

Circular  issued  by  the  New  England  Coal  Committee,  ....  582 

Organization  of  Federal  Fuel  Administration  for  New  England,      .  587 

Chairmen  of  Fuel  Committees  in  Cities  and  Towns  in  Massachusetts,  592 


IX 


I LLUSTRATIONS 


Frontispiece, 

Interior  of  Radio  School, 

Some  of  the  Lumbermen,     . 

Sawing  Lumber,     . 

Bunk  House, 

At  Scituate,    .... 

At  Feeding  Hills,  Springfield; 

At  Marblehead, 

At  Hudson,     .... 

Certificate  of  Honorable  Discharge,  for  School  Boys  on 
Farms,     .... 

Boys'  Camp,  Stockbridge,  . 

Halifax,  N.  S.  —  Governor  McCall  Apartments.  Largest 
Apartment  Houses  in  the  World,  sheltering  320 
Families,  completed  in  320  Working  Hours,  . 

Halifax,  X.  S.  —  Ruins  of  the  Sugar  Refinery,  a  Ten- 
story  Building, 

Halifax,  N.  S.  —  Shore  immediately  adjacent  to  the 
Scene  of  the  Disaster.  Steamboat  thrown  up  on 
Top  of  the  Wharf  at  Extreme  Right, 

Food  Administration  Demonstration  Car, 

Quincy,  Mass.,  Community  Garden, 

Food  Administration  Cottage  on  Boston  Common, 

Food  Conservation  Cottages  on  Boston  Common, 


Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 
Facing 


page  88 
page  158 
page  101 
page  101 
page  174 
page  174 
page  177 
page  177 


Facing  page  178 
Facing  page  178 


Facing  page  190 
Facing  page  200 


Facing  page  204 
Facing  page  304 
Facing  page  350 
Facing  page  307 
Facing  page  309 


XI 


THE  STORY 


OF 


THE   MASSACHUSETTS   COMMITTEE   ON 
PUBLIC   SAFETY 

February  10,  1917  November  20,  1918 


Part  I 


CHAPTER   I 
GENERAL   CONDITIONS 

When  on  August  3,  1914,  the  Old  World  began  the  greatest 
conflict  in  the  history  of  mankind,  finally  embracing  nearly 
every  nation  and  dependency  from  East  to  West,  the  average 
citizen  of  Massachusetts,  many  thousand  miles  distant  from 
the  seat  of  war,  failed  to  connect  the  devastation  raging  so 
far  away  with  any  immediate  or  ultimate  harm  coining  to 
his  country,  his  State  or  himself. 

It  was  not  so  much  optimism  as  a  lack  of  appreciation 
that  prompted  this  almost  universal  sense  of  security.  Yet 
a  very  few,  with  a  clearer  and  more  prophetic  understanding 
of  the  conditions  that  brought  about  the  war,  were  con- 
stantly insistent  that  the  United  States  would  sooner  or 
later  inevitably  be  involved,  and  that  it  was  incumbent  on 
her  people  to  make  every  preparation,  take  the  initiative, 
and  join  the  cause  of  the  Allies.  To  them  the  danger  was 
imminent,  and  the  cause  of  freedom  and  humanity  directly 
imperiled.  They  realized  that  the  world  was  facing  a  mighty 
power,  now  fully  arrived  at  an  acme  of  leadership,  organi- 
zation and  armament,  all  servile  to  an  irresponsible,  ruthless 
oligarchy  bent  at  any  cost  on  the  domination  of  the  world; 


that  "Kultur,"  so  called,  was  a  mockery,  its  very  name  mis- 
leading; while  the  most  vicious  and  insidious  propaganda 
was  being  ruthlessly  directed  against  the  integrity  of  our 
national  life. 

The  philosophy  of  this  inertia  on  the  part  of  a  liberty- 
loving  people  —  who  for  three  years  had  witnessed  humanity 
degraded,  the  rights  of  freedom  trodden  under  foot,  its 
country's  flag  insulted,  and  its  citizens  murdered  on  the 
high  seas  without  a  blow  being  struck  in  return  —  is  more 
properly  material  for  the  psychologist. 

It  was  the  conditions  as  they  obtained,  and  not  their 
cause,  with  which  we  had  to  reckon  when  our  Republic 
finally  declared  war  against  Germany  and  joined  the  Allies, 
then  sorely  pressed,  and  who,  though  far  from  beaten,  stood 
with  their  backs  to  the  wall. 

A  mighty  problem  confronted  us.  Our  energies  had  been 
absorbed  in  the  attainment  of  national  prosperity.  For 
years  we  had  been  negligent  of  every  warning,  and  despite 
our  opportunities  and  immeasurable  resources  had  finally 
entered  the  greatest  conflict  in  history  totally  deficient  in 
armament,  equipment  or  material;  with  an  army  small  and 
scattered;  a  transportation  service  inexcusably  faulty;  and 
our  suddenly  awakened  people  dazed  by  the  realization  of 
its  desperate  unpreparedness.  Across  the  seas  a  relentless 
foe  met  our  challenge  with  open  ridicule  and  contempt, 
boasting  that  the  war  would  be  over  and  the  Teuton  victo- 
rious long  before  the  United  States  could  marshal  its  armies 
on  the  field  of  battle. 

But  they  forgot  our  birthright,  so  nobly  conceived  in  the 
love  of  liberty.  They  did  not  recall  our  infancy  and  its 
baptism  of  patriotic  self-sacrifice.  They  failed  to  appreciate 
that  the  divine  heritage  bequeathed  to  us  was  not  dead,  but 
remained  a  vital  and  controlling  element  in  our  character, 
and  that  we  were  still  loval  to  the  ideals  of  our  forefathers 
and  the  force  of  their  great  example.  They  did  not  know 
that  beneath  the  surface  lay  the  quickening,  unconquerable 
soul  of  the  American  people. 


It  was  the  recognition  of  this  spirit,  and  the  anticipation 
of  the  United  States'  immediate  entry  into  the  war,  which 
prompted  His  Excellency  Governor  McCall,  as  spokesman 
for  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  and  at  the  immediate  sug- 
gestion o£  Mr.  James  J.  Storrow,  and  Mr.  Charles  F.  Weed, 
President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  to  name  on  Febru- 
ary 9,  1917,  the  following  one  hundred  citizens,  chosen  from 
everv  section  of  the  Commonwealth,  as  a  Massachusetts 
Committee  on  Public  Safety :  — 


James  J.  Storrow,  Chairman. 


Henry  Abrahams. 
Charles  H.  Allen. 
Hon.  Butler  Ames. 
Charles  S.  Baxter. 
Frank  P.  Bennett. 
Col.  Everett  C.  Benton. 
Charles  S.  Bird. 
Spencer  Borden,  Jr. 
Charles  W.  Bosworth. 
Roland  W.  Boy  den. 
Dr.  L.  Vernon  Briggs. 
George  E.  Brock. 
Dr.  William  A.  Brooks. 
William  M.  Butler. . 
Charles  F.  Choate,  Jr. 
A.  H.  Christie. 
Charles  H.  Cole. 
Hon.  Calvin  Coolidge. 
Hon.  Louis  A.  Coolidge. 
Hon.  Channing  H.  Cox. 
Hon.  W.  Murray  Crane. 
Henry  H.  Crapo. 
Alvah  T.  Crocker. 
John  W.  Cummings. 
Hon.  James  M.  Curley. 
Hon.  Edwin  U.  Curtis. 
Hon.  Grafton  D.  Gushing. 
Harvey  Cushing. 
Henry  S.  Dennison. 
George  A.  Draper. 
Albert  Greene  Duncan. 


Arthur  W.  Eaton. 
John  W.  Farley. 
Walter  C.  Fish. 
Hon.  John  F.  Fitzgerald. 
Archie  N.  Frost. 
Louis  A.  Frothingham. 
Harry  W.  Garfield. 
William  A.  Gaston. 
Edward  W.  Glines. 
Levi  H.  Greenwood. 
Edwin  Farnham  Greene. 
Walton  A.  Greene. 
Edwin  A.  Grozier. 
John  W.  Haigis. 
Matthew  Hale. 
Charles  H.  Hayden. 
Robert  F.  Herrick. 
Henry  L.  Higginson. 
Richard  C.  Hooker. 
James  H.  Hustis. 
George  N.  Jeppson. 
J.  Lovell  Johnson. 
Benjamin  Joy. 
Eben  S.  S.  Keith. 
Louis  E.  Kirstein. 
George  E.  Kunhardt. 
Louis  K.  Liggett. 
Edmund  W.  Longley. 
A.  Lawrence  Lowell. 
Frank  J.  Ludwig. 
Hon.  George  H.  Lyman. 


3 


Richard  C.  Maclaurin. 
Frederick  W.  Mansfield. 
Robert  E.  Marden. 
Frederic  C.  MeDuffie. 
J.  Franklin  McElwain. 
Grenville  S.  McFarland. 
Alexander  Meiklejohn. 
Guy  Murchie. 
Robert  L.  O'Brien. 
Joseph  H.  O'Neil. 
Eugene  W.  Ong. 
James  J.  Phelan. 
William  B.  Plunkett. 
J.  W.  Powell. 
Oliver  Prescott. 
Frederick  H.  Prince. 
A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
Russell  Robb. 
Bernard  J.  Rothwell. 


John  L.  Saltonstall. 
Edward  F.  Searles. 
Joseph  A.  Skinner. 
Frederic  S.  Snyder. 
Philip  L.  Spalding. 
Godfrey  de  la  Tannancour. 
Charles  H.  Taylor. 
Thomas  W.  Thatcher. 
Hon.  David  I.  Walsh. 
Charles  G.  Washburn. 
Charles  F.  Weed. 
Henry  G.  Wells. 
George  R.  White. 
E.  Marston  Whitin. 
Sherman  L.  Whipple. 
James  T.  Williams,  Jr. 
Butler  R.  Wilson. 
Daniel  G.  Wing. 
Robert  Winsor. 


Subsequently  the  Governor  added  the  following  names : 


W.  A.  L.  Bazeley. 
Edmund  Billings. 
H.  F.  Brock. 
Charles  C.  Doten. 
Mark  Temple  Dowling. 
Henry  B.  Endicott. 
William  F.  Fitzgerald. 
Alvan  T.  Fuller. 
John  L.  Hall. 
Ira  X.  Hollis. 
Stillman  F.  Kelley. 


Arthur  A.  Kidder. 

Walter  L.  McMenimen. 

George  von  L.  Meyer. 

Charles  A.  Pastene. 

Gardner  W.  Pearson  (ex  officio). 

Robert  L.  Raymond. 

Milton  F.  Reed. 

Simon  Vorenberg. 

Frank  W.  Whitcher. 

Roger  Wolcott. 


Massachusetts  had  ever  been  a  practical  State.  Her 
industries  and  institutions  were  her  life.  At  the  same  time, 
she  never  abandoned  her  ideals,  which  at  once  quickened 
with  threatened  danger.  She  now  recognized  what  was 
expected  of  her,  and  that  it  was  a  people's  war,  at  home  as 
well  as  in  the  field,  and  in  the  cause  of  Liberty.  Of  the 
Committee  so  appointed  more  than  one-half  became  person- 
ally active  in  its  labors,  with  very  few  holidays  to  break  the 


strain   during   the   twenty-one  months   their  services  were 
called  for. 

The  Governor's  selection  was  made  without  regard  to 
creed,  political  affiliation,  social  or  racial  distinction.  With 
a  single  aim.  Republican  and  Democrat,  Gentile  and  Jew, 
Catholic  and  Protestant  toiled  shoulder  to  shoulder, — 
their  strength  in  unity.  Their  example  was  closely  followed 
l)v  many  hundreds  eventually  enrolled  in  different  branches 
of  the  work.  Distinguished  scholars,  college  presidents, 
clergymen,  philanthropists,  professors,  doctors,  lawyers, 
business  men  and  labor  leaders  met  in  daily  conclave. 
Women  and  men,  the  elder  and  the  younger,  all  volunteers 
in  a  great  cause,  toiled  patriotically,  cheerfully,  and  in  per- 
fect harmony  during  the  long  summer  heat  and  the  cold 
winters  that  they  might  do  their  share  in  going  over  the 
home  top. 


CHAPTER  II 

ORGANIZATION  OF   PROVISIONAL   AND   EXECUTIVE 

COMMITTEES 

A  Provisional  Executive  Committee  of  seven,  appointed 
by  His  Excellency  to  act  until  such  time  as  the  whole  Com- 
mittee could  be  brought  together,  met  the  next  day,  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1917,  at  the  Governor's  office  to  discuss  and  lay 
plans  for  the  complete  co-ordination  of  the  resources  of  the 
State.  The  Governor  advised  in  substance  that  the  purpose 
of  the  Committee  was  to  consider  the  problems  growing  out 
of  our  international  relations,  in  order  that  the  Common- 
wealth might  have  the  benefit  of  its  advice  and  action;  that 
he  believed  our  citizens  ready  to  respond  in  the  emergency 
that  presented  itself;  and  that  his  choice  of  names  had  been 
solely  influenced  by  his  determination  to  have  all  the  dif- 
ferent elements  of  our  citizenship  represented,  and  thus  the 
opinion  of  the  Commonwealth  as  a  whole  obtained. 

Meetings  of  the  Provisional  Committee  were  held  regu- 
larly every  day  for  five  days  thereafter,  the  sessions  extend- 
ing sometimes  well  into  the  night.  During  this  period  the 
contemplated  scope  of  the  Committee's  work  was  outlined 
as  far  as  at  that  time  possible;  the  formation  of  sub-com- 
mittees was  suggested  and  approved,  and  reports  of  condi- 
tions here  and  abroad  were  gathered  from  a  vast  number 
of  agencies,  all  with  a  view  to  the  complete  co-ordination 
of  the  resources  of  the  Commonwealth  and  the  fullest  co- 
operation with  sister  States  and  the  national  government. 

On  February  14,  1917,  the  first  meeting  of  the  Committee 
of  One  Hundred  was  called  together  by  the  Governor  in  the 
East  Wing  Committee  Room  at  the  State  House,  where  His 
Excellency,  on  bringing  the  meeting  to  order,  addressed 
them  in  part  as  follows :  — 

My  difficulty  in  selecting  this  Committee  was  rather  one  of  exclusion 
than  of  selection,  because  in  considering  the  make-up  of  such  a  citizens 

6 


committee  in  the  Commonwealth  one  finds  a  splendid  wealth  of  material. 
What  I  tried  to  do  was  to  get  one  hundred  of  the  best  men  in  the  State, 
with  a  special  idea  of  their  fitness  for  the  work,  and  representative  as  a 
body  of  the  different  interests,  the  different  lines  of  industry,  and  the 
different  elements  of  our  citizenship,  so  that  it  would  stand  as  repre- 
sentative of  the  whole  Commonwealth. 

I  had  an  idea  that  it  was  well  to  have  a  committee  of  this  character 
consider  those  problems  that  grow  out  of  our  present  delicate  interna- 
tional relations,  and  give  to  the  Commonwealth,  and  through  it  to  the 
country,  the  benefit  of  its  advice,  and,  if  necessary,  of  its  action.  I  did 
not  appoint  the  Committee  with  the  idea  that  war  was  probable.  I  am 
expressing  no  opinion  upon  that  point.  But  I  think  we  will  all  agree 
that  war  is  at  least  possible;  and  as  it  is  possible  it  behooves  us  to  do 
what  we  can  to  get  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  where  it  may, 
as  it  always  has  in  time  of  national  crises,  respond  very  quickly  to  any 
call  from  the  Nation.  But  whatever  our  faults  of  preparation  may  be, 
the  American  people  has  such  a  comprehensive  genius,  such  a  facility  of 
invention,  that  there  is  no  nation  in  the  world  that  can  take  liberties 
with  it  or  that  can  provoke  it,  at  any  rate,  without  considering  the  con- 
sequences. We  have  not  been  permitted  to  grow  up  a  big  and  great 
nation  simply  because  of  the  toleration  of  other  powers;  but  we  have 
the  elements  in  ourselves,  in  our  government,  that  will  make  us  a  for- 
midable foe  to  any  other  nation  in  the  world  before  we  finally  get  through 
a  war,  and  I  believe  the  other  nations  all  recognize  it. 

Gentlemen,  we  are  not  trying  to  get  in  advance  of  the  men  who  are 
controlling  the  administration  of  our  national  government.  I  believe 
those  men  are  actuated  only  by  patriotic  motives.  I  believe  they 
thoroughly  understand  the  situation,  and  I  believe  when  the  test  shall 
come  it  will  be  found  that  they  have  made  preparations  and  have  taken 
thought  of  things  of  which  most  of  us  did  not  happen  to  have  any 
knowledge.     It  is  my  idea  that  we  should  support  the  administration. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Governor's  address  the  Com- 
mittee proceeded  to  form  its  permanent  organization,  the 
officers  elected  within  the  immediately  succeeding  days, 
together  with  the  Executive  Committee,  being  — 

James  J.  Storrow,  Chairman. 
C.  F.  Weed,  Vice-Chairman. 

Guy  Murchie,  Secretary. 
Edmund  W.  Longley,  Treasurer. 


Henry  B.  Endicott. 
Walton  A.  Green. 
Benjamin  Joy. 


James  J.  Phelan. 
A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
Adj. -Gen.  Pearson  (ex  officio). 


Substantia]  powers  were  at  the  same  time  given  to  the 
Executive  Committee  to  appoint  sub-committees,  officers 
and  agents,  to  fill  vacancies  and  to  add  to  their  own  number 
as  might  from  time  to  time  seem  to  them  desirable. 

On  February  15,  1917,  Mr.  Henry  B.  Endicott  was  elected 
executive  manager,  an  event  the  value  of  which,  not  only  to 
the  Committee  itself  but  likewise  to  the  broader  and  more 
comprehensive  interests  of  the  State  and  Nation,  will  be 
appreciated  more  and  more  as  this  story  progresses.  Only 
those  who  served  under  him,  and  particularly  the  fortunate 
few  who  for  twenty-one  months  lived  daily  in  the  atmosphere 
and  partnership  of  the  inner  office,  can  justly  estimate  his 
ability,  force  and  character,  or  realize  the  strength  of  his 
unselfish  patriotism. 

Pursuant  to  the  authority  given,  on  March  15  Mr.  John  F. 
Stevens  and  Mr.  Frank  H.  McCarthy,  and  on  March  29  Mr. 
George  H.  Lyman  and  Mr.  J.  Frank  O'Hare,  the  latter  in 
place  of  Mr.  McCarthy  resigned,  were  elected  members  of  the 
Executive  Committee,  and  after  a  lapse  of  four  months, 
from  time  to  time,  still  further  additions  were  made,  as  will 
appear  later. 

It  was  — 

Resolved,  That  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety  pledges 
its  loyal  support  to  the  State  and  national  government  in  all  measures  for 
the  defence  of  our  country  and  the  preservation  of  the  right  of  its  people 
on  land  and  sea. 

From  this  time  on  the  Executive  Committee  directed  and 
controlled  the  entire  work  of  the  organization  in  all  its 
branches,  the  only  meetings  thereafter  of  the  Committee  of 
One  Hundred  taking  place  on  March  17,  1917,  December  6, 
1917,  and  finally  on  November  20,  1918,  at  which  time  the 
organization  was  dissolved. 

The  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety  was  thus 
formally  instituted,  being  the  first  organization  of  its  kind 
established  in  the  United  States.  Moreover,  the  model  of 
its  organization  and  the  plan  for  its  development  were  in  a 


large  measure  followed  in  many  parts  of  the  country  as  well 
as  by  the  Council  of  National  Defense.  Its  primal  and 
declared  object  —  for  we  were  not  yet  at  war  —  was  to 
secure  protection  from  foreign  aggression  and  insure  againsl 
treachery  and  violence  within  the  State.  As  a  corollary 
thereof  it  was  pledged  to  co-operate  with  the  administra- 
tion at  Washington  in  all  matters  relating  to  the  public  weal, 
so  far  as  affected  by  the  war  cloud  then  enveloping  Europe 
and  threatening  to  burst  upon  our  land  at  any  moment. 

Nevertheless,  Massachusetts  was  totally  unprepared  for 
any  such  emergency.  She  had  no  foundation  on  which 
to  build  except  her  own  resources,  courage  and  persistent 
energy.  The  same  condition  existed  in  every  State  of  the 
Union. 

The  last  Congress,  possibly  lulled  by  a  false  sense  of 
security,  had  declined  by  a  considerable  majority  to  make 
proper  appropriations  for  national  equipment  or  defence, 
thereby  forgetting  that  "when  a  strong  man  armed  keepeth 
his  palace  his  goods  are  m  peace."  Many,  though  falsely, 
challenged  its  patriotism.  The  root  of  the  difficulty  was 
that  the  dormant  soul  of  the  American  people  required 
awakening.  There  were  many  striking  exceptions,  however, 
to  this  inertia  on  the  part  of  men  in  public  life,  foremost 
among  which  was  the  example  given  by  a  Representative 
from  Massachusetts,  Maj.  Augustus  P.  Gardner,  who  later 
resigned  from  Congress  and  forfeited  his  life  in  behalf  of  the 
principles  for  which  he  had  contended. 

We  were,  therefore,  left  at  a  critical  time  in  our  history 
to  cope  as  best  we  might  with  a  gigantic  military  machine 
bred  through  two  generations  to  a  vicious  lust  for  conquest, 
false  to  its  word,  brutal  in  its  methods,  and  composed  of 
veterans  of  more  than  two  years'  standing.  It  woidd  be 
unfair  to  charge  the  truly  critical  position  in  which  we  found 
ourselves  to  any  one  political  party.  The  trouble  lay  with 
the  people  as  a  whole,  —  with  our  antecedents  covering  a 
period  of  many  years.  Circumstances  and  longitude  had 
made  us  a  peaceful,  commercial,  yet  in  many  respects  an 


inconsequent  people.  What  we  most  desired  in  our  relations 
to  other  nations  was  to  be  let  alone,  —  a  vital  background 
of  the  Monroe  Doctrine.  We  were  willing  to  let  other 
nations  settle  their  own  particular  difficulties.  We  were  not 
out  for  glory,  nor  did  we  want  anybody  else's  territory, 
while  distance  made  us  feel  secure  in  our  own  possessions. 
In  short,  we  did  not  realize  how  the  world  had  changed. 

One  might  recall  the  poet's  version  of  the  time  when, 
many  years  ago,  French  privateers  appeared  in  the  offing, 
threatening  "to  ravish  with  fire  and  steel  our  helpless  Boston 
town,"  and  how  the  parson  stood  with  his  congregation  in 
the  Old  South  Church  — 

Saying  humbly:  Let  us  pray: 
Oh  Lord,  we  would  not  advise, 

But  if  in  Thy  providence 
A  tempest  should  arise, 

To  drive  the  French  fleet  hence, 
And  scatter  it  far  and  wide, 

Or  sink  it  in  the  sea, 
We  should  be  satisfied, 

And  Thine  the  glory  be. 

Such  were  the  trying  and  uncertain  conditions  pervading 
State  and  Nation  when  the  advent  of  spring,  1917,  brought 
with  it  a  declaration  of  war  and  the  demand  for  a  vast 
host  of  combatants,  to  be  gathered  from  every  State  in 
the  Union,  who  should  defend  our  cause  on  land  and  sea; 
and  for  a  still  greater  army  to  recruit  the  man  power  and 
preserve  its  efficiency  in  equipment,  material  and  supplies. 
Our  Nation,  aroused  from  its  apathy,  began  to  systematize 
its  vast  resources  of  men,  material  and  food  with  a  patriotism 
which  challenged  all  rivalry,  and  an  ability  which  more  and 
more  won  the  admiration  and  astonishment  of  the  world. 
It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  citizens  of  Massachusetts 
created  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  the  keystone  of 
an  arch  which  was  eventually  to  form  a  new  memorial  of 
Yankee  pluck,  patriotism  and  devotion  to  duty. 


10 


CHAPTER  III 
ANTICIPATING   WAR 

In  the  interim,  covering  about  seven  weeks,  during  which 
our  participation  in  the  war  hung  in  the  balance,  the  Com- 
mittee laid  the  foundations  of  its  work,  and,  despite  every 
discouragement,  entered  upon  a  task  unique  in  character, 
exhaustless  in  opportunity,  and  testing  every  patriotic  im- 
pulse; yet  splendid  in  the  fruition  and  the  final  accomplish- 
ment of  a  great  endeavor. 

The  most  pressing  necessity  demanding  the  attention  of 
the  Executive  Committee  was  to  perfect  our  local  defence. 
This  was  embraced  under  the  following  heads:  the  militia, 
National  Guard  and  State  Guard  and  their  equipment; 
the  medical  preparation  necessary  to  meet  any  emergency; 
existing  transportation  facilities  and  the  improvement 
thereof;  the  State  Police;  Home  Guard;  and  the  protection 
of  munition  plants,  bridges,  waterways  and  other  danger 
points.  On  motion  of  Mr.  Phelan  the  initial  vote  of  the 
Provisional  Committee,  recorded  on  February  10,  declared  — 

That  the  Committee  considers  it  its  first  duty  to  see  that  the  existing 
official  military  organizations  of  the  State  are  fully  equipped  to  the  last 
detail  for  a  possible  call  for  service;  to  find  out  how  they  are  now 
equipped  on  a  peace  basis,  and  how  they  should  be  equipped  in  the  event 
of  war. 

There  was  little  doubt  in  any  one's  mind  that  we  were 
really  on  the  brink  of  war,  and  also  that  the  Committee, 
although  a  voluntary  association,  virtually  represented  the 
State,  was  for  the  time  being  its  right  arm,  and  must  act 
independently  as  well  as  in  co-operation  with  the  national 
government. 

At  once,  on  passage  of  the  foregoing  resolution,  personal 
representation  was  sent  to  Washington,  and  detailed  informa- 
tion covering  the  general  question  of  local  defence  was  dili- 

11 


gently  collected  from  every  available  source.  Pending  the 
result  of  these  inquiries,  the  following  Preparatory  Com- 
mittees were  appointed:  — 


Finance. 

Co-ordination  of  Aid  Societies. 

Industrial  Survey. 

Transportation. 

Hygiene.  Medicine  and  Sanitation. 

Federal  and  State  Legislation. 

Food  Production  and  Conservation. 


Publicity. 

Land  Forces. 

State  Protection. 

Naval  Forces. 

Military  Equipment  and  Supplies. 

Emergency  Help  and  Equipment. 


Further,  and  to  co-operate  with  the  Committee  on  Land 
Forces,  and  in  some  respects  with  the  Committee  on  Naval 
Forces,  the  following  additional  committees  were  ap- 
pointed: — 


Mobilization   and   Concentration 

Camps. 
Horses. 


Trucks  and  Motor  Cars. 

Recruiting. 

Home  Guards. 


The  personnel  of  these  Preparatory  Committees  was  not 
confined  to  membership  in  the  Committee  of  One  Hundred, 
but  included  names  added  from  time  to  time  as  the  work 
progressed.     (See  Appendix,  page  537  et  seq.) 

It  might  be  well  to  emphasize  at  this  point  how  each  of 
these  Preparatory  Committees  was  created,  primarily  to 
meet  exigencies  arising  during  the  interval  between  peace 
and  anticipated  war.  Although  one  or  two  of  them  were 
later  discontinued,  as  overlapping  or  unnecessary  to  the 
general  plan,  the  demands  on  others  after  the  United  States 
became  an  active  belligerent  often  changed  materially  in 
character  from  their  original  purpose,  or  were  absorbed  in 
the  broader  activities  and  functions  of  the  State  or  Nation. 
Nevertheless,  as  the  result  of  their  early  painstaking  and 
efficient  labors  a  potent  organization  was  gradually  per- 
fected, its  tentacles  radiating  from  a  common  center  into 
nearly  every  corner  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  with  each 
auxiliary  ready  and  anxious  at  all  times  to  help  the  Execu- 
tive   Committee    in    working   out   the   vexatious   problems 


12 


rapidly  accumulating.  They  also  greatly  assisted  in  con- 
cluding satisfactory  and  co-operating  relations  with  the  rest 
of  New  England  and  with  sister  States,  and  eventually  with 
the  Council  of  National  Defense  at  Washington.  Each 
unit,  though  formed  on  the  same  pattern,  was  independent 
in  itself,  working  in  conformity  with  the  requirements  of  its 
local  conditions,  yet  always  within  the  scope  of  the  general 
scheme.  Together  they  constituted  a  powerful  aggregate, 
striving  in  patriotic  accord  to  do  their  full  share  towards  the 
attainment  of  a  single  generic  purpose. 


State  Organization  and  Preparatory  Committees 

It  was  evident  that  the  assistance  and  co-operation  of 
every  city  and  towm  within  the  Commonwealth  was  impera- 
tively needed,  and  on  March  21  the  specific  task  of  forming 
local  committees  on  Public  Safety  was  assigned  to  Mr. 
Ratshesky  and  Mr.  Lyman. 

Out  of  a  total  number  of  295  towns  in  the  State,  251 
towns  formed  sub-committees  under  the  general  plan  and  in 
full  co-operation  with  the  aims  of  the  Executive  Committee. 
From  38  cities  in  the  State,  every  city  —  with  the  sole 
exception  of  Springfield  —  answered  to  the  call  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Committee  on  Public  Safetv,  or  acted  in  full 
accord,  sympathy  and  co-operation  with  its  purposes  and 
requests. 

Thus,  before  our  entry  into  the  war  became  a  fact,  a 
widespread  and  perfected  working  body  of  interested  patri- 
otic citizens  were  banded  together  with  the  sole  object  of 
doing  their  utmost  towards  the  winning  of  the  war. 

The  few  towns  that  did  not  register  as  requested  were  so 
small  in  population  that  by  mutual  consent  it  was  deemed 
inadvisable  for  them  to  form  separate  organizations;  yet  in 
many  instances  a  scantily  populated  town  combined  its 
efforts  with  a  neighboring  town  so  as  to  be  represented  on 
the  membership  of  the  hitter's  Committee.  On  the  basis  of 
population,   95.8  per  cent  of  the  entire  citizenship  of  the 

13 


State  became  formally  represented  as  part  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Committee  on  Public  Safety,  or  working  in  full 
co-operation  with  its  purposes. 

It  will  now  be  attempted  to  give  the  more  specific  reasons 
for  which  these  Preparatory  Committees  were  formed,  with 
a  somewhat  detailed  account  of  the  activities  in  which  each 
was  engaged.  An  exception,  however,  will  be  made  in  the 
case  of  the  Committee  on  Food  Production  and  Conserva- 
tion, whose  activities,  July,  1917,  were  transferred  to  the 
Board  of  Food  Administration  authorized  by  both  Federal 
and  State  authoritv,  and  whose  work  continued  until  the 
end  of  the  war.  This  Preparatory  Committee  will  there- 
fore, for  the  sake  of  continuity,  be  discussed  later  in  Part 
V,  together  with  the  other  projects  of  the  Food  Administra- 
tion. 

Committee  on  Finance 

A  first  and  vital  consideration  involving  the  entire  scope 
of  the  proposed  work  was  the  question  of  finance.  No 
better  proof  of  the  temper,  supreme  confidence  and  patri- 
otism of  our  wealthier  citizenship  could  have  been  offered 
than  the  successful  results  obtained  by  the  Committee  on 
Finance,  who,  within  a  few  days,  received  subscriptions 
aggregating  over  $101,022.85,  the  expenditure  of  which  was 
authorized  to  be  used  as  a  special  fund  solely  within  the 
discretion  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  independent  of 
any  outside  approval.  This  amount  constituted  a  revolv- 
ing fund,  and  was  more  than  sufficient  to  meet  every  present 
demand.  Many  of  the  drafts  originally  made  thereon  were 
later  charged  to  an  appropriation  of  $1,000,000  allowed 
by  the  Legislature  to  defray  war  expenditures,  and  which 
was  recognized  as  the  main  source  from  which  the  general 
expenses  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  were  to  be 
paid.  These  rebates,  with  the  balance  over,  left  the  special 
fund  sufficiently  ample  to  provide  for  all  such  future  pay- 
ments as  might  not  properly  come  within  the  terms  of  the 

14 


State's  gift.     Thus  all  anxiety  in  regard  to  financing  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety  was  at  once  removed. 

On  March  19,  1917,  in  less  than  two  hours  after  receiving  a 
message  from  Governor  McCall,  the  Legislature  by  special 
act,  chapter  202,  made  the  appropriation  of  $1,000,000 
above  referred  to,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  treasury  of  the  Com- 
monwealth from  the  general  revenue;  and  to  be  expended 
under  the  direction  of  the  Governor  as  Commander-in- 
Chief,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Council,  "in  defraying 
the  military,  naval  and  other  expenses  which  the  emer- 
gency arising  out  of  existing  conditions,  and  the  exigencies 
of  possible  war,  might  in  his  judgment  render  requisite  and 
proper."  The  act  was  construed  to  include  the  general 
requirements  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  and  from 
this  appropriation  the  allowed  expenditures  of  the  Com- 
mittee were  paid  and  charged  to  the  general  revenue. 

Again,  on  May  25,  1917,  under  the  provisions  of  chapter 
324,  the  United  States  having  in  the  meantime  declared 
war  with  Germany,  a  further  appropriation  of  $1,000,000 
was  made  to  cover  any  emergency  which  might  arise  during 
the  recess  of  the  General  Court  by  reason  of  the  then  exist- 
ing state  of  war.  This  was  to  be  bonded  for  a  term  not 
exceeding  ten  years,  and  to  be  used  only  in  case  the  million 
dollars  taken  from  the  general  revenue  became  exhausted. 
No  bonds  were  issued,  however,  under  this  act,  although  a 
note  was  given  for  $97,000,  the  money  to  be  used  for  require- 
ments of  the  State  Guard.  This  was  later  repaid  out  of  the 
general  funds  of  the  Commonwealth. 

In  1918  the  money  thus  appropriated  for  use  during  the 
year  1917,  under  chapter  202,  was  recognized  by  the  Audi- 
tor's office  as  being  still  available  for  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety,  notwithstanding  the  absence  of  any  special 
provision  in  the  act  for  extension  of  time.  What  really 
happened  was  that  the  expenditures  made  in  1917  were 
chiefly  for  the  needs  of  our  military  and  naval  forces  in  the 
way  of  equipment,  the  major  part  of  which  outlay  —  as 
will  be  seen  in  the  discussion  of  Equipment  and  Supplies, 

15 


Chapter  VI  —  was  later  paid  by  the  United  States  govern- 
ment, leaving  the  bulk  of  the  one  million  dollar  appropria- 
tion of  March  19,  1917,  still  available  for  use  in  1918. 

Committee  on  Co-ordination  of  Aid  Societies 

The  purpose  of  this  Committee  was  to  amalgamate  all 
societies  of  similar  character  throughout  the  State,  to  the 
end  that  the  sum  total  of  their  combined  efforts  should 
constitute  one  well-balanced  and  productive  whole,  without 
either  duplication  or  overlapping. 

The  origin  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  was  the 
visible  sign  of  a  patriotic  desire  on  the  part  of  the  men  of 
Massachusetts  to  meet  the  necessities  of  a  situation  fraught 
with  perils  and  with  opportunity.  The  same  incentive  ob- 
tained equally  among  the  women  of  the  State,  who  from  the 
first  wished  to  do  their  full  share,  and  whose  organizations 
commenced  work,  or  strengthened  that  in  which  they  were 
already  engaged,  to  meet  war  needs.  It  became  at  once 
evident  that  to  secure  effective  results  this  work  should  be 
interrelated,  co-operative  and  thoroughly  organized,  and  to 
attain  that  end  the  above  Committee  was  appointed. 

The  heads  of  the  various  women's  organizations  were 
therefore  immediately  called  in  conference,  where  two  facts 
became  apparent.  Every  woman  was  more  than  anxious  to 
work  for  a  common  result,  and  to  have  her  organization 
take  such  part  as  would  best  help  to  bring  about  this  pur- 
pose. At  the  same  time,  it  was  apparent  that  the  problem 
of  organization  involved  was  an  unusual  one.  The  national 
government  had  not  yet  acted  in  any  comprehensive  way, 
nor  was  it  at  all  certain  what  form  its  activities  would  take. 

Several  organizations  of  a  nation-wide  scope  desired  to 
extend  their  spheres  of  influence  into  Massachusetts;  new 
organizations  were  being  formed  inside  the  State,  with 
branches  in  many  towns  and  cities:  and  those  already  in 
the  State,  at  first  local,  were  continuously  forming  new- 
branches,  some  of  which  were  made  up  exclusively  of  women, 
while  others  included  both  men  and  women.     In  this  some- 

10 


what  mixed  situation  the  more  pertinent  questions  resolved 
themselves  as  follows:  — 

How  should  activities  entering  the  State  from  without  he 
related  to  those  within? 

Should  the  Slate  organization  proceed  on  the  theory  that 
the  best  interests  of  the  larger  agencies,  such  as  the  Red 
Cross,  the  Special  Aid  Society,  the  Civic  Federation,  Fed- 
erated Women's  Clubs  and  others,  demanded  a  central 
bureau  for  each,  with  its  organization  lines  running  to  all 
the  cities  and  towns,  and  acting  independently  in  those 
cities  and  towns;  or  should  there  be  a  centralized  bureau 
containing  representatives  of  the  major  activities,  which 
should  endeavor  to  group  each  city  and  town,  and  thus 
secure  harmonious  action?  Also  was  it  best  that  the  work 
of  the  women  and  that  of  the  men  should  go  on  together,  or 
ought  a  sharp  and  separating  line  be  drawn  between  them? 

A  number  of  conferences  were  held  and  many  views  were 
expressed,  the  conclusions  finally  reached  being  that  the 
work  of  the  men  and  the  women  was  of  like  importance, 
though  different  in  kind,  and  that  a  full  and  equal  partner- 
ship basis  would  give  the  best  results. 

It  was  further  determined  that  the  only  authority  which 
could  be  recognized  as  superior  to  that  of  the  State  was 
the  United  States  government;  that  in  every  way  the 
women's  organizations  should  co-operate  with  the  govern- 
ment to  the  extent  of  their  ability;  and  in  case  of  any 
civilian  activities  coming  from  outside  the  State,  these  must 
abide  by  the  general  policy  of  the  United  Aid  Societies  of 
^Massachusetts. 

It  was  also  decided  that  there  should  be  a  central  con- 
ference, consisting  of  representatives  from  all  the  women's 
organizations,  which  should  make  every  effort  to  group  in 
each  city  and  town  the  local  chapters  of  these  organiza- 
tions, and  to  secure  harmony  if  any  friction  existed. 

These  simple  principles  of  organization,  animated  through- 
out by  a  spirit  of  the  finest  patriotism,  soon  brought  har- 
mony and  effective  results. 

17 


Another  and  special  effort  made  from  the  very  first  was 
to  form  an  organization  which  should  be  ready  and  able  to 
fit  as  far  as  possible  into  that  eventually  decided  on  by  the 
national  government. 

The  Red  Cross  took  a  very  prominent  and  useful  part  in 
the  whole  scheme  of  organizing  aid  societies,  as  did  the 
Special  Aid  Society.  Though  many  more  might  be  men- 
tioned, especial  reference  is  made  to  these  two  because  the 
first  had  a  nation-wide,  and  the  second  a  valuable  though 
local,  existence.  It  is  equally  to  the  credit  of  both  these 
organizations  that  the  Red  Cross,  having  the  wider  scope, 
was  allowed  to  act  as  a  clearing  house  for  information  in 
greater  Boston,  a  plan  which  was  carried  through  without 
any  friction  whatever.  Notwithstanding  that  there  were 
many  problems  in  the  general  scheme  requiring  adjustment, 
no  serious  difficulties  developed. 

The  Committee  on  Co-ordination  of  Aid  Societies  had  a 
work  to  do  which,  though  entirely  preparatory,  was  essen- 
tial; but  it  never  became  burdensome  because  of  the  splen- 
did patriotism  evidenced  by  Massachusetts  women.  The 
principle  of  working  with  the  women  as  equal  partners  was 
fully  maintained  in  every  activity  of  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  and  that  of  the  Food  Administration,  and 
endured  until  the  war  ended.  Certainly  the  results  proved 
its  wisdom. 

Mr.  B.  Preston  Clark,  chairman  of  this  Committee,  con- 
tinued from  the  first  to  be  its  directing  influence,  giving 
unstintedly  of  his  time  and  effort  in  guiding  the  co-ordinate 
and  partnership  work  of  the  women's  and  men's  activities 
in  their  relations  to  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  and  to 
the  Food  Administration. 

Committee  on  Industrial  Survey 

It  was  at  first  intended  to  have  this  Committee  make  a 
survey  of  the  manufacturing  facilities  of  the  State,  and  its 
work  began  on  that  line.  Thereafter  it  became  apparent 
that  any  demand  likely  to  be  made  on  these  utilities  would 

18 


naturally  come  from  the  Federal  authorities,  and  not  from 
the  State.  For  this  reason,  and  because  by  that  time  the 
Advisory  Commission  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense 
—  a  Federal  function,  established  shortly  after  the  organ- 
ization  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety  — 
had  for  some  months  been  making  an  industrial  survey  of 
the  whole  country,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  abandon  the 
original  scheme  and  work  with  the  National  Commission 
when  so  requested,  and  under  its  general  direction.  The 
Committee  found  that  about  2,400  Massachusetts  manu- 
facturing concerns  were  already  listed  by  the  Washington 
Commission;  that  the  majority  of  them  had  filed  complete 
returns;  and  that  the  others  had  been  turned  over  to  Mr. 
C.  L.  Edgar,  who  was  taking  care  of  the  industrial  survey 
work  in  Massachusetts  in  behalf  of  the  Naval  Consulting 
Board  and  the  Council  of  National  Defense.  Meetings 
were  held  with  the  Washington  Commission  looking  to  a 
survey  of  Massachusetts  plants  capable  of  filling  experi- 
mental orders  for  ammunition.  But  when  it  transpired 
that  the  Ordnance  Department  did  not  possess  adequate 
specifications  and  drawings,  and  also  that  if  any  such  orders 
should  be  placed  it  was  more  than  likely  they  would  be 
given  to  plants  in  inland  States,  the  subject  was  dropped, 
except  that  recommendations  based  on  investigations  al- 
readv  made  bv  the  Committee  on  Industrial  Survev  were 
forwarded  to  the  Commission  in  Washington.  Conferences 
were  likewise  held  with  local  Ordnance  Department  officials, 
to  the  end  that  they  might  be  fully  acquainted  with  the 
facilities  existing  in  Massachusetts.  The  Committee,  there- 
fore, having  outlived  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  created, 
discontinued  further  work. 

Committee  ox  Transportation 

The  Transportation  Committee's  particular  function  was 
to  arrange  for  the  rapid,  unimpeded  transportation  of 
troops  when  summoned  in  case  of  riot  or  other  emergency; 
to    protect   critical   points   throughout   the   State,    such   as 

19 


power  houses,  sources  of  power,  bridges,  munitions,  water- 
supply  plants,  conduits,  etc.;  or  to  meet  any  danger  threat- 
ening the  public  safety  and  demanding  the  presence  of 
armed  forces. 

A  card  index  list  was  made  by  the  Committee  and  sub- 
mitted to  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  State  Protec- 
tion, together  with  the  best  information  obtainable  as  to 
the  particular  street  railway  officials  to  be  notified  in  case 
of  a  given  emergency.  The  Committee  also  prepared  a 
topographical  drawing  giving  the  electric  lines  in  the  State 
with  their  relation  to  armories,  manufacturing  industries, 
connections  between  steam  and  electric  railways,  docks, 
power  sources,  spur  tracks,  etc.  This  map  also  showed  all 
emergency  connections  between  steam  and  electric  railways, 
and  between  these  and  such  manufacturing  and  industrial 
plants  as  would  best  facilitate  the  movement  of  troops  and 
material.  A  significant  fact  shown  by  this  drawing  was 
that  a  physical  connection  could  be  made  between  the 
Springfield  Street  Railway  and  the  Berkshire  Street  Rail- 
way at  Huntington,  Mass.,  thereby  furnishing  a  through 
electric  route  from  western  to  eastern  Massachusetts.  An 
inventory  was  prepared  giving  accurately  the  location  of  all 
materials,  such  as  rails,  copper,  ties,  spikes,  etc.,  that  they 
might  be  quickly  requisitioned;  and  still  another  compiled 
of  all  passenger,  freight  and  material  cars.  A  pocket  map 
showing  the  different  street  railway  lines  was  made  ready 
for  the  use  of  government  officials  in  charge  of  routing  ma- 
terial. It  was  in  accordance  with  the  recommendations  of 
this  Committee  that  manufacturing  concerns  readjusted 
their  opening  and  closing  hours  so  as  best  to  spread  the 
traffic  handled  by  the  street  railways,  and  that  steps  were 
taken,  in  the  event  of  a  military  draft,  to  have  employees 
of  important  transportation  and  manufacturing  industries 
exempted  from  military  service.  Legislation  was  also 
urged,  the  effect  of  which  would  be  to  waive  some  of  the 
hide-bound  restrictions  binding  the  street  railways  in  time 
of  peace,  and  permit  them  to  place  their  services,  material 

20 


and  men  more  effectually  at  the  disposal  of  the    govern- 
ment. 

When  the  men  of  the  c2d,  6th  and  9th  Regiments  were 
doing  guard  duty,  the  Transportation  Committee  arranged 
for  their  free  transportation  to  and  from  the  armories. 
Early  in  April  the  American  Railway  Association,  repre- 
senting all  the  railroads  in  the  United  Slates,  formed  a 
special  Committee  on  National  Defense,  its  efforts  to  be 
divided  among  the  committees  located  in  the  four  divisions 
of  the  country  as  laid  out  by  the  War  Department;  and 
in  May  Mr.  James  H.  Hustis,  chairman  of  the  Transporta- 
tion Committee,  was  selected  as  chairman  of  the  North- 
eastern Division.  The  Committee  kept  in  touch  with  the 
Secretary  of  War  and  the  President  of  the  War  College; 
also  with  the  assistant  quartermaster-general  and  assistant 
surgeon-general,  through  whom  all  information  involving 
transportation  and  protection  of  railways  and  railroads  was 
regularly  furnished  to  the  War  Department.  In  general, 
the  scope  of  the  Committee's  work  included  the  furnishing 
of  data  similar  to  that  furnished  by  the  Committee  on  Trans- 
portation to  the  Executive  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

Committee  on  Federal  and  State  Legislation 

This  Committee  was  made  up  of  a  number  of  prominent 
lawyers.  Its  functions  were  to  draft  emergency  legislation; 
to  advise  as  to  existing  laws,  State  and  national;  to  supply 
precedents  for  war  legislation  from  the  statutes  of  Great 
Britain  on  any  subject  regarding  which  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee desired  such  information,  and  to  suggest  whatever 
further  legislation  might  appear  to  be  necessary.  In  short, 
the  Committee  was  to  act  as  the  legal  adviser  of  the  Execu- 
tive Committee.  It  also  drafted  bills  relating  to  the  fol- 
lowing functions,  and  obtained  their  favorable  considera- 
tion by  the  Legislature :  — 

Home  Guard. 
Dependent  aid. 
State  pay  for  soldiers. 

21 


$1,000,000  special  appropriation. 

Empowering  the  Governor  to  appoint  300  temporary 
members  of  the  State  Police. 

That  the  Executive  Committee  and  officers  of  sub-com- 
mittees might  have  prompt  assistance  on  all  matters  requir- 
ing legal  advice,  it  was  sought  to  have  some  one  member  of 
the  Legislation  Committee  always  available  at  the  State 
House.  Legal  advice  was  given  gratis  in  answer  to  innu- 
merable queries,  among  which  the  following  subjects  may 
be  classed  as  the  more  important:  — 

"War  risks  in  insurance  policies. 
Aviation  field. 

Transportation  of  explosives  on  street  railways. 
Insults  to  the  flag. 

Mobilization  of  schoolboys  by  municipalities  for  farm  work. 
Free  preparation  of  private  and  park  lands  by  municipal  teams  and  men. 
.Plans  for  carrying  out  the  Federal  Draft  Law  in  Massachusetts. 

But  by  far  the  most  important  State  law  enacted,  as 
affecting  the  interests  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety, 
was  the  Commonwealth  Defence  Act.  The  birth  of  the 
Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety  was  the  result 
of  a  universal  feeling  among  our  citizens  that  the  times 
demanded  an  entirely  new  order  of  defense,  and  the  growth 
of  the  Committee's  work  was  supported  by  patriotic  enthusi- 
asm. At  the  beginning,  however,  its  scope  was  strictly 
limited  to  such  action  as  our  anti-war  laws  permitted.  It 
therefore  became  at  once  of  the  utmost  importance  to  pro- 
cure legislation  as  free  as  possible  from  red  tape,  and 
broader  in  conception  than  the  laws  under  which  we  had 
been  living  through  a  long  era  of  peace;  otherwise  the 
results  the  Committee  afterwards  obtained,  and  for  which 
it  was  created,  could  never  have  been  gained  in  strict  accord- 
ance with  either  our  statute  or  common  law.  To  meet  this 
necessity  which  the  war  had  brought  about,  and  to  strengthen 
the  hands  of  the  Committee,  the  Commonwealth  Defence 
Act  was  passed  on  May  26,  1917.     This  act  contained  the 

22 


express  provision  that  it  was  to  remain  in  force  only  for  the 
duration  of  the  war.  It  will  readily  be  appreciated  how 
impossible  it  was  at  this  time  to  forecast  the  future.  Our 
country  had  suddenly  become  plunged  into  a  chaos  of 
strange  conditions  which  destroyed  the  conventional  rut  of 
thought  and  aspiration  in  which  we  had  lived  so  long,  and 
molded  the  souls  of  all  men  into  a  grim  determination  to 
win  the  war.  It  was,  therefore,  witli  an  assured  confidence 
that  the  people  were  asked  to  surrender  their  democratic 
power  and  establish  a  condition  fundamentally  foreign  to 
their  ideas  of  democracy,  in  order  that  a  wider  range  might 
be  permitted  to  every  project  involving  the  safety  of  the 
State.  Probably  so  drastic,  so  daring,  and,  as  afterwards 
proved,  so  vitally  important  a  law  for  the  protection  and 
safety  of  the  Commonwealth  was  never  before  entertained 
by  a  Massachusetts  Legislature.  Its  character  was  not 
only  without  precedent  in  Massachusetts,  but  it  was  the 
first  law  of  its  kind  enacted  by  any  State  in  the  Union.  Yet 
it  met  with  such  countrv-wide  recommendation  that  the 
Judge  Advocate  of  the  United  States  endorsed  it,  form  and 
substance,  as  an  excellent  example  of  legislation  for  other 
States  to  follow  and  put  on  their  own  statute  books,  —  a 
recommendation  which  was  very  generally  followed. 

Details  of  the  bill  covered  many  pages.  Among  the  prin- 
cipal subjects  treated  were  the  registration  of  aliens  over 
eighteen  years  of  age  and  the  imposition  of  additional  restric- 
tions upon  this  class  of  citizens,  with  a  punitive  clause 
added  for  any  violation  of  the  provisions  of  the  act.  The 
Governor  was  empowered  to  take  property,  real  and  per- 
sonal, and  to  give  compensation  for  the  same;  to  appoint 
special  officers,  and  to  co-operate  with  the  Council  of 
National  Defense.  In  addition,  he  was  authorized  to  dele- 
gate to  others  some  of  the  powers  given  to  him  by  the  bill, 
the  later  exercise  of  which  right  proved  the  base  and  bul- 
wark of  a  greater  part  of  the  activities  of  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety.  It  contained  provisions,  also,  for  the 
transfer  of  real  estate  located  within  the  Commonwealth  to 

23 


persons  outside  of  the  State,  and  to  a  certain  degree  relaxed 
the  rigor  of  the  law  in  cases  of  absentee  defendants  who 
were  in  the  military  or  naval  service.  It  established  the 
right  of  courts  to  refuse  bail  to  defendants  when  their  liberty 
involved  a  menace  to  the  public  safety.  The  construction 
of  explosives,  bomb  or  shell,  was  made  subject  to  fine  and 
imprisonment.  The  act  also  gave  the  Governor  the  right 
to  survey  the  amount  of  food  in  the  Commonwealth,  as  well 
;is  the  land  and  labor  available  for  its  production;  to  collect 
all  Mich  other  data  as  would  help  strengthen  the  food  situa- 
tion, with  forcible  attendance  of  witnesses  and  the  co-opera- 
tion of  State  departments  in  gathering  such  information; 
and  the  power  to  regulate  the  use  of  fireworks  and  fire- 
crackers. It  provided,  further,  for  the  appointment  of  a 
(•(  ii  11  ittee  for  regulating  and  licensing  the  hours  of  labor 
during  the  period  of  the  war.  Autocratic  as  these  provi- 
sions were,  contrary  and  opposed  as  they  appear  to  our 
Declaration  of  Rights  and  our  established  theories  of  per- 
sonal liberty  and  protection,  they  were  both  accepted  and 
endorsed  by  a  sane,  patriotic  people  as  a  strictly  temporary 
n  easure  to  meet  a  crying  need  in  a  time  of  great  emergency. 


Committee  on  Mobilization  and  Concentration 

Camps 

A  careful  study  was  made  by  this  Committee  of  available 
camp  sites  and  their  condition  as  to  roads,  kitchens,  mess 
shelters,  latrines,  bath  houses  and  storehouses;  and  in  re- 
gard to  the  installation  of  water  and  sewer  systems.  Con- 
ferences were  held  with  Adjutant-General  Sweetser  and  the 
Senior  Inspector  Instructor  of  the  United  States  Army,  that 
the  Committee  might  become  better  acquainted  with  the 
needs  of  the  National  Guard  and  the  United  States  Army 
in  case  of  troop  mobilization.  Framingham  was  the  only 
available  mobilization  camp  in  Massachusetts  at  this  time, 
a  location  which  had  practically  outlived  its  usefulness. 
Numerous  offers  of  land  to  the  government  to  be  used  for 

24 


camp  purposes  wore  received  by  the  Committee,  some  of 
which  were  accepted. 

At  the  request  of  the  Navy  Department  the  Committee 
assisted  in  the  selection  of  sites  for  temporary  camps  for 
members  of  the  Naval  Reserve. 

Committee  on  Horses 

The  Committee  on  Horses  made  a  survey  of  horses  for 
military  use,  getting  in  touch  with  New  England  and  western 
export  dealers  in  order  to  list  all  horses  available  for  pur- 
chase. Specific  assistance  was  given  by  the  Committee  to 
the  9th  Regiment  early  in  April,  1917,  in  an  examination  of 
horses  and  mules  shipped  from  the  southwest. 

Committee  on  Trucks  and  Motor  Cars 

The  Committee  on  Trucks  and  Motor  Cars  endeavored  to 
secure  enrollments  of  motor  cars  and  trucks  wherever  the 
owners  would  agree  to  hold  them  subject  to  the  disposal  of 
the  State  in  case  of  military  emergency.  Local  committees 
were  organized  throughout  the  State,  and  approximately 
50,000  enrollment  cards  were  distributed.  In  all,  about 
5,000  enrollments  were  secured,  of  which  approximately 
two-thirds  were  motor  cars  and' the  balance  trucks.  It  was 
estimated  that  the  cars  had  a  carrying  capacity,  including 
drivers,  of  16,670  persons,  and  the  trucks  of  4,164  tons. 
Each  car  owner  was  given  a  circular  form  of  decaleomania 
seal,  about  two  and  one-half  inches  in  diameter,  containing 
the  words,  ''Enrolled  for  Service -- Committee  on  Public 
Safety,"  and  was  allowed  the  privilege  of  attaching  this  seal 
to  his  car  immediately  upon  acceptance  of  his  enrollment. 

The  New  England  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company 
formulated  a  plan  of  notification  by  telephone  to  those  en- 
rolled, which  they  agreed  to  put  in  operation  whenever 
called  upon  by  the  Committee.  Fortunately,  no  military 
emergency  arose  to  properly  test  the  results  obtained  by 
this  Committee,  but  the  mere  fact  that  so  many  Massa- 

25 


clmsetts  people  gratuitously  offered  their  cars  was  evidence 
of  their  desire  to  help  win  the  war,  and  a  source  of  encour- 
agement to  all  others  working  for  that  general  end. 

Committee  on  Publicity 

The  name  of  this  Committee  at  once  brings  a  vivid  sense 
of  the  obligation  owed  to  the  Massachusetts  press,  one  not 
likely  to  be  forgotten  by  any  one  connected  with  the  work 
of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Mr.  Storrow  was  to  summon  for 
consultation  with  the  Executive  Committee  representatives 
from  leading  newspapers  in  the  city.  The  general  scope  of 
the  work  contemplated  was  laid  before  them,  and  their 
advice  and  assistance,  locally  and  throughout  the  State, 
earnestly  requested.  This  they  immediately  offered,  and 
without  any  hesitation.  From  the  birth  of  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety,  when  its  functions  were  relatively  limited, 
continuously  through  the  twenty-one  months  of  its  diverse 
and  greatly  widening  activities  and  up  to  the  last  day  of  its 
existence,  the  press  of  Massachusetts  gave  to  the  Committee 
its  honest  support,  its  time  and  its  columns,  and,  above  all, 
its  good  will,  with  loyal  fealty  to  its  original  promise. 

The  Publicity  Committee  did  a  very  general,  valuable 
and  helpful  work.  It  was,  in  fact,  an  authorized  bureau 
for  public  information;  a  medium  between  the  Committee 
and  the  press,  relieving  them  both  from  unnecessary  inter- 
views and  duplication.  It  kept  in  touch  with  the  activities 
of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  daily  assisted  in  super- 
vising advertisements  and  press  notices,  at  the  same  time 
arranging  for  their  distribution  and  insertion  in  the  news- 
papers. Specifically,  it  reported  the  meetings  of  the  Exec- 
utive Committee  when  the  same  were  of  public  interest,  and 
gave  particular  attention  to  the  work  of  any  sub-committee 
needing  its  help.  At  the  request  of  the  Committee  on  Re- 
cruiting, it  prepared  at  short  notice  500,000  four-page  leaf- 
lets with  information  as  to  how  to  enlist.     In  this  connec- 

26 


tion  25,000  posters  were  also  distributed,  and  a  two-column 
advertisement  was  inserted  in  every  daily  newspaper  in  the 
State.  When  the  Harvard  Medical  Unit  was  suddenly  sum- 
moned for  service  abroad,  and  needed  cooks  and  other  assist- 
ants, an  advertisement  was  put  on  the  front  page  of  every 
Boston  newspaper,  whereby  the  urgency  demanded  was 
spread  broadcast.  As  a  result,  in  one  day  the  unit  obtained 
its  full  complement  of  assistants.  In  addition  to  the  space 
courteously  offered  by  the  press  in  behalf  of  the  Committee 
on,  Food  Production,  two  columns  of  matter,  in  plate  form, 
were  sent  regularly  for  three  weeks  to  170  daily  and  weekly 
newspapers.  Another  lot  of  25,000  posters  was  prepared, 
which  were  used  chiefly  on  the  dashers  of  trolley  cars.  Pic- 
ture slides  encouraging  home  gardens  were  sent  to  400 
picture  theatres,  where  they  were  displayed  without  charge. 
The  Committee  was  fortunately  able  to  secure  for  a  portion 
of  the  time  during  the  first  few  months  the  services  of 
Mr.  Thomas  J.  Feeney,  publicity  director  for  the  New  Eng- 
land Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company.  Later  Mr.  John 
F.  O'Connell,  Publicity  Director  for  the  United  Shoe  Ma- 
chinery Company,  was  delegated  to  represent  the  Com- 
mittee in  all  matters.  When  the  Food  Administration  was 
organized  early  in  July,  1917,  very  extensive  publicity  was 
given  by  Mr.  O'Connell  to  its  multitudinous  activities;  and 
in  the  long  list  of  labor  troubles  which  were  settled  by  Mr. 
Endicott  his  services  again  proved  of  great  value.  He 
always  exercised  that  tactful  discretion  necessary  to  estab- 
lish  a  happy  medium  between  talking  too  little  and  acquir- 
ing the  unenviable  reputation  of  giving  the  press  more  than 
they  were  ready  to  print. 


27 


CHAPTER  IV 

LOCAL   DEFENSE 

The  fundamental  principle  controlling  the  purpose  of  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety  during  the  first  period  of  its 
work  aimed  at  perfecting  the  local  defense.  As  already 
stated,  and  with  this  purpose  in  view,  the  Committee  by  its 
initial  vote  declared  it  of  paramount  importance  that  the 
existing  military  organizations  in  the  State  be  fully  equipped 
to  the  minutest  detail;  and  that  their  present  peace  basis 
of  equipment,  as  well  as  what  might  be  demanded  in  case 
the  United  States  entered  the  war,  should  be  rigorously 
inquired  into.  The  first  step  towards  this  end  was  the 
forming  of  the  Preparatory  Committees,  some  of  which  have 
already  been  described;  others,  whose  functions  were  more 
distinctly  military  or  naval  in  their  character,  follow. 

Committee  on  Land  Forces 

The  duties  of  the  Committee  on  Land  Forces  embraced 
all  matters'  involving  the  local  defense,  including  the  addi- 
tional requirements  of  existing  military  bodies  in  the  State, 
and  what  might  be  necessary  for  any  units  thereafter 
formed,  especial  attention  being  given  to  all  matters  relating 
to  equipment  and  supplies.  The  Committee  was  short- 
lived, practically  going  out  of  existence  at  about  the  time 
our  troops  embarked  for  the  front.  In  the  interim,  how- 
ever, besides  acting  in  an  advisory  capacity,  for  which  its 
personnel  was  peculiarly  adapted,  it  made  a  very  thorough 
investigation  of  equipment  conditions,  both  as  to  what  was 
needed  and  what  could  be  procured  at  home,  and  also 
what  would  be  furnished  by  the  authorities  at  Washington. 
The  results  obtained  may  best  be  gathered  from  the  account 
of  the  Committee  on  Mobilization  and  Concentration  of 
Camps,    Home    Guards,    Horses,    Recruiting,    Trucks    and 

28 


Motor  Cars,  and,  particularly,  of  the  Committee  on  Equip- 
ment and  "Supplies.  It  would  be  well,  however,  to  hear  in 
mind  that  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety's  work  in  its 
relation  to  the  land  forces  of  the  Commonwealth  was  in  no 
sense  confined  to  the  Committee  on  Land  Forces,  though 
greatly  indebted  for  its  valuable  assistance  and  advice,  but 
that  this  subject  was  included  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  in 
the  activities  of  all  the  Preparatory  Committees. 

Committee  on   State  Protection 

The  Committee  on  State  Protection,  after  an  exhaustive 
study  of  existing  conditions  and  points  of  danger,  presented 
their  final  recommendations  to  the  Executive  Committee, 
together  with  a  list  of  certain  centers  where  the  needs  were 
most  pressing,  including  vital  points  along  the  lines  of  our 
principal  railroads,  viaducts,  ferries,  etc.,  and  with  special 
emphasis  on  the  need  of  guarding  the  railroad  bridges. 
They  reported,  moreover,  that  the  necessity  of  protecting 
power,  ammunition  and  similar  privately  owned  plants  was 
not  so  immediate.  At  first  there  were  but  two  sources  of 
supply  from  which  legally  authorized  man  power  could  be 
obtained  to  guard  these  localities,  —  viz.,  the  local  police 
and  the  District  Police,  and  the  State  National  Guard, 
formerly  the  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia.  Thereupon, 
the  chairman,  with  the  support  of  a  very  able  committee, 
made  an  exhaustive  study  and  compilation  of  all  existing 
State  laws  dealing  with  crime,  police  forces  and  their  organ- 
ization, and  the  registration  of  aliens.  As  a  result,  tenta- 
tive laws  were  presented  to  the  Executive  Committee  rec- 
ommending certain  legislation. 

On  March  2,  1917,  the  Legislature,  under  General  Acts, 
chapter  43,  in  partial  accordance  with  the  recommendation 
of  the  Committee,  authorized  the  Governor  within  his  dis- 
cretion to  appoint  special  District  Police  officers,  the  number 
not  to  exceed  300.  All  officers  so  appointed  were  to  have 
the  same  power  as  that  held  by  the  District  Police,  — 
including  the  authority  to  bear  arms,  -  -  their  organization, 

29 


discipline,  equipment,  etc.,  to  be  subject  to  rules  and  regu- 
lations issued  by  the  Chief  of  the  District  Police: 

On  March  1-2,  pursuant  to  this  bill,  96  special  police 
officers  were  appointed  by  His  Excellency  for  the  more 
definite  purpose  of  covering  the  eight  or  ten  bridges  over 
the  Cape  Cod  Canal  and  the  two  tunnels  at  North  Adams, 
as  advised  by  the  Committee  on  State  Protection. 

In  the  meantime  representatives  of  the  Committee  visited 
the  various  cities  of  the  State,  interviewing  their  mayors 
and  outlining  and  explaining  the  general  work  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety.  Likewise  they  urged  the  officials 
of  each  city  to  prepare  plans  for  the  protection  of  life  and 
property  within  their  boundaries,  in  anticipation  of  war 
being  declared. 

The  State  Protection  Committee  also  analyzed  carefully 
all  laws  relating  to  explosives,  —  the  detective  and  fire 
inspection  department  of  the  District  Police  having  the 
power  to  regulate  the  keeping,  storage,  use,  manufacture, 
sale,  handling,  transportation  and  general  disposition  of  all 
combustible  explosives,  —  in  order  to  ensure  that  the  old 
and  newly  formed  bodies  of  police  should  be  fully  instructed 
in  their  duties,  and  that  they  might  be  able  to  tell  at  a 
moment's  notice  where  a  given  amount  of  dangerous  or 
destructive  material  was  stored. 

It  quickly  became  evident  that,  in  the  appointment  of  an 
additional  number  to  the  existing  force  of  the  District 
Police,  enough  men  could  not  be  secured  who  through  experi- 
ence and  natural  qualifications  combined  were  efficient  to 
perform  a  policeman's  job.  The  whole  scheme  was  then 
submitted  by  the  Executive  Committee  to  the  Adjutant- 
General's  office,  representing  the  military  forces  of  the  State. 
This  department,  as  then  constituted,  took  the  position  that 
any  plan  to  utilize  the  military  forces  of  the  Common- 
wealth for  police  purposes  in  time  of  peace  was  miscon- 
<  rived.  It  was  argued  as  unfair  to  force  such  service  upon 
a  body  who  had  not  enlisted  with  that  understanding,  and 
that  a  soldier's  business  was  neither  to  discover  crime  nor 


30 


to  make  arrests.  Moreover,  an  enlisted  man,  acting  as 
policeman,  received  but  half  the  pay  he  was  entitled  to  as  a 
soldier.  In  short,  the  whole  problem  of  guarding  was 
peculiarly  a  police  job  and  not  a  soldier's  job.  It  was  also 
further  pointed  out  that  the  expenses  of  wage  and  equip- 
ment, where  private  enterprises  were  involved,  ought  prop- 
erly to  be  borne  by  those  receiving  the  direct  benefit  of 
such  protection.  An  exception  was  offered  to  this  last  posi- 
tion, however,  in  the  case  of  railroads,  whose  safeguarding, 
as  public  utilities,  might  fairly  be  judged  to  come  within 
the  obligation  of  the  State,  though  in  many  cases  this  in 
turn  might  properly  be  considered  as  matter  for  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Federal  government. 

All  special  guarding  during  the  early  days  of  March,  1917, 
was  attempted  by  local  volunteers.  On  March  25  and  30 
details  from  the  2d  and  9th  Regiments  of  Infantry,  and  on 
the  30th  details  from  the  6th  Regiment  Infantry,  were 
ordered  on  guard  duty,  as  was  likewise  Company  B  of  the 
101st  Engineers,  1st  Corps  Cadets,  later  sent  to  Camp 
Devens. 

The  organizations,  therefore,  approaching  a  military 
character,  established  by  law  and  authorized  at  this  time 
to  contribute  to  our  local  defense  in  the  way  of  land  forces, 
were,  as  we  have  seen,  a  part  of  the  State  National  Guard 
and  an  enlarged  police  force.  The  Massachusetts  Volun- 
teer Militia  had  been  merged  into  the  State  National  Guard 
on  October  12,  1907,  and  on  July  28,  1917,  three  and  one- 
half  months  after  we  entered  the  war,  its  members,  then 
National  Guardsmen,  were  enrolled  into  the  Federal  service. 
This  would  have  left  the  Commonwealth  without  organized 
military  defense  but  for  the  fact  that  the  Legislature,  at  the 
instance  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safetv. 
by  act  passed  April  5,  1917,  chapter  148  of  the  General  Acts, 
authorized  the  Governor  as  a  war  measure  to  establish  a 
Home  Guard.  This  body  is  now  very  generally  spoken  of 
as  the  "State  Guard,"  but  is  not  to  be  confounded  with 
the  disbanded  Volunteer  Militia  or  with  the  State  National 
Guard. 

31 


The  indeterminate  use  of  the  word  "Guard"  has  often 
led  to  misunderstanding.  The  organization  at  first  known 
as  ''Home  Guard"  was  purely  a  makeshift  creation  of  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  and  was  composed  of  volun- 
teers from  the  different  cities  and  towns.  Its  scattered 
units  had  no  State  recognition,  were  responsible  only  to 
local  authority,  were  self-supporting  and  without  any  uni- 
fication whatever.  The  purpose  for  which  they  were 
brought  together  was  solely  to  have  something  to  fall  back 
on  until  such  time  as  a  better  and  legally  constituted  military 
contingent,  State  or  Federal,  could  be  perfected.  This,  as 
already  pointed  out,  took  place  at  the  time  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  State  Guard  under  chapter  148,  the  act  being 
known  as  the  "Home  Guard  bill."  This,  with  certain  limita- 
tions as  to  age  and  physical  condition,  authorized  a  volun- 
tary enlistment  of  men  who,  when  called  for  service  were 
bound  to  perform,  under  the  direction  of  the  Governor  as 
Commander-in-Chief,  all,  the  powers  of  constables,  police 
officers  and  watchmen,  except  in  civil  process.  The  intent 
of  the  bill  was  to  create  a  bodv  which  should  defend  the 
homes  in  place  of  the  National  Guard  thereafter  enrolled 
by,  and  subject  to  the  orders  of,  the  Federal  government. 

To  summarize,  we  had  in  Massachusetts  on  April  6,  1917, 
legally  authorized  to  bear  arms,  but  two  land  forces:  — 

First.  —  The  Massachusetts  National  Guard,  remaining 
under  State  control  until  July  <28,  1917,  when  it  became 
part  of  the  National  Army  and  was  ordered  to  rendezvous, 
the  mustering-in  being  completed  by  August  1. 

Second.  -  -  A  newly  organized  State  Guard  to  consist  of 
inhabitants  of  the  Commonwealth,  over  thirty-five  years  of 
age,  "or  married  men  under  that  age  with  dependents,  or 
physically  disqualified  from  service  in  the  National  Guard." 
This  unit  was  only  in  embryo  at  the  time  we  became  partici- 
pants in  the  war,  and  it  had  practically  no  membership, 
unless  a  lew  of  the  so-called  local  and  home  guards  from 
the  small  towns,  which  were  used  as  a  nucleus,  might  be  so 
considered.    The  State  Guard,  though  in  no  respect  a  crea- 

32 


tion  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  received  at  the 
time  of  its  formation  every  assistance  possible  from  that 
body,  and  was  entirely  dependent  upon  it  for  its  equipment. 

State  Guard 

The  Massachusetts  State  Guard  was  authorized  April  5, 
1917,  under  General  Acts,  chapter  148.     To  carry  out  its 
provisions  the  Governor  in  an  official  order  dated  April  11, 
1917,  appointed  a  State  Guard  Board,  consisting  of  Hon. 
Butler  Ames,  Brigadier-General,  commanding;    Samuel  D. 
Parker,    Brigadier-General;     John    J.    Sullivan,    Brigadier- 
General;    Elmore  D..  Locke,  Lieutenant-Colonel;    Stephen 
W.  Sleeper,  Lieutenant-Colonel;   and  Philip  S.  Sears,  Major, 
as  military  secretary.     This  Board,  in  compliance  with  the 
order,  at  once  began  to  organize  the  new  force,  and  a  sum  of 
$200,000  was  appropriated  under  General  Acts,  chapter  331, 
for  the  Guard's  maintenance.     Most  of  this  money  was  ex- 
pended for  rifles  and  equipment,   although  several  of  the 
companies  supplied  their  own  equipment  without  cost  to  the 
State.     General  Ames  and  his  staff  spent  several  weeks  per- 
fecting the  organization,  using  to  a  very  great  extent  the 
local   Committees  on  Public  Safety  for  that  purpose.     A 
report  made  by  the  Board  under  date  of  July  27,   1917, 
certified  the  State  Guard's  enrollment  to  be  9,000  men.    By 
January  1,  1918,  the  organization  reached  a  total  strength 
of  about  725  officers  and  10,900  enlisted  men,  composed  of 
three  brigades  with  eleven  regiments  of  infantry,  or  approxi- 
mately 145  companies.     To  four  of  these  regiments  machine- 
gun  companies  were  attached.     In  addition,  were  the  1st 
Motor  Corps,  —  an  independent  battalion  of  four  compa- 
nies with  one  hundred  cars,  —  the  1st  Troop  of  Cavalry  and 
a  medical   department.     Enlistments   were   for  two   years, 
unless  sooner  discharged   on  declaration  of  peace.     Before 
being  mustered  into  service  all  applicants  were  compelled 
to  undergo  a  thorough  physical  examination,  conducted  by 
the  Guard's  medical  staff,  and  11,000  examinations  of  en- 
listed  officers   and  men   were   thus  made.     These   services 

33 


were  gratuitously  given  by  the  physicians,  often  to  the 
detriment  of  their  private  practice.  The  personnel  of  the 
officers  was  of  high  order,  each  candidate  being  obliged  to 
secure,  before  appointment,  a  recommendation  from  the 
local  Committee  on  Public  Safety  in  his  district,  as  well  as 
one  from  the  mayor  or  board  of  selectmen  of  his  city  or 
town.  In  the  old  militia  the  9th  Regiment  was  the  highest 
recorded'  regimental  number,  and  to  avoid  confusion  the 
new  formation  began  with  the  number  10.  The  Guard's 
uniform  was  similar  to  that  worn  by  United  States  Regu- 
lars, although  the  insignia  and  brassards  were  distinctive 
and  plainly  indicated  the  arm  of  service. 

On  December  6,  1917,  the  Governor  was  importuned  by 
the  United  States  Marshal  for  the  Massachusetts  District  to 
supply  troops  to  guard  the  barred  zones  created  by  a  procla- 
mation issued  by  President  Wilson.  In  compliance  there- 
with, and  to  meet  the  emergency,  Governor  McCall  ordered 
the  State  Guard  to  perforin  this  duty,  but  at  the  same  time 
made  the  stipulation  to  the  Marshal,  in  writing,  that,  this 
being  an  expense  properly  chargeable  to  the  Federal  govern- 
ment, such  services  would  be  terminated  after  January  1, 
1918.  Two  companies  of  the  Guard,  each  man  having 
passed  a  physical  examination  by  the  medical  advisor, 
reported  for  duty  Friday,  December  4,  1917.  These  com- 
panies were  relieved  by  other  detachments  on  December  14, 
and  again  on  December  21.  On  this  latter  date  notifica- 
tion was  received  from  the  Federal  government  that  the 
last  detachment  would  be  supplanted  by  troops  now  doing 
duty  at  the  fortifications  in  the  harbor. 

The  State  supplied  a  medical  officer,  always  on  call;  and 
quarters,  food,  clothing  and  equipment  were  kept  thoroughly 
inspected.  This  emergency  duty  performed  by  the  State 
Guard,  often  under  specially  trying  conditions  of  weather, 
was  met  with  a  zeal  reflecting  great  credit  on  both  officers 
and  men. 

The  Guard  drilled  steadily  and  faithfully,  with  particular 
attention  to  close  order  drill,  guard  duty,  and  the  use  of  the 

34 


rifle  in  target  practice.  Each  company  was  ordered  to  drill 
once  a  week,  though  many  of  them  doubled  this  require- 
ment. Commissioned  and  non-commissioned  officers  held 
informal  meetings  looking  to  the  attainment  of  the  highest 
military  efficiency  for  the  unit.  During  September  and 
October,  1917,  four  regimental  drills  were  held  in  different 
parts  of  the  State,  to  which  transportation  to  and  fro  was 
provided  by  the  Commonwealth.  These  drills  were  volun- 
tary, but  the  men  showed  great  enthusiasm,  and  attended 
in  large  numbers.  The  officers  also  offered  instruction  in 
military  tactics  to  drafted  men  several  weeks  prior  to  their 
being  sent  to  concentration  camps,  and  several  hundreds  of 
those  conscripted,  before  their  actual  induction  into  the 
service,  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity.  To  this 
cause  is  attributed  the  rapid  promotions  many  of  them  later 
received  to  commissions  in  the  National  Army. 

When  the  second  Liberty  Loan  was  being  floated!  Mr. 
Endicott  suggested  to  General  Ames  that  valuable  help 
could  be  given  by  his  command;  and  through  the  great 
energy  which  the  State  Guard  developed  in  getting  sub- 
scriptions listed,  many  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  bonds 
were  subscribed  for  by  his  men. 

How  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  was  instrumental 
in  equipping  the  State  Guard  through  its  Committee  on 
Equipment  and  Supplies,  and  the  relations  the  organization 
bore  to  the  work  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  at  the 
time  of  the  Halifax  disaster  and  of  the  Emergency  Hospital 
venture,  will  be  described  later  when  those  subjects  are 
more  particularly  considered. 

Hon.  Butler  Ames,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  who  had 
seen  service  with  the  6th  Massachusetts  Regiment  in  the 
Spanish  War  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor  brigadier-general  in  command  of 
the  State  Guard,  and  was  later  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  major-general.  His  staff  consisted  of  the  following 
officers : — 


3.5 


Maj 
Maj 
Maj 
Maj 


Paul  R.  Hawkins. 
Clifford  S.  Anderson. 
Joseph  A.  Legare. 
M.  J.  Splaine. 


Maj.  M.  J.  Smart. 


Maj.  Samuel  H.  Wolcott. 
Maj.  Stephen  V.  R.  Crosby 
Maj.  John  S.  Lawrence. 
Capt.  Charles  H.  Parker. 


Lieut. -Col.  William  A.  Brooks,  Acting  Surgeon-General  of 
the  Commonwealth,  headed  the  medical  staff.  Other 
officers  were  as  follows :  — 

10th  Regiment,  Col.  Thomas  F.  Sullivan. 

11th  Regiment,  Brig. -Gen.  Charles  Pfaff,  retired  Colonel. 

12th  Regiment,  Col.  H.  F.  Ballard. 

13th  Regiment,  Col.  Louis  A.  Frothingham. 

14th  Regiment,  Col.  Henry  L.  Kineaide. 

15th  Regiment,  Col.  E.  H.  Eldridge. 

16th  Regiment,  Col.  Louis  S.  Cox. 

17th  Regiment,  Col.  William  H.  Beatty. 

18th  Regiment,  Col.  John  F.  Hurley. 

19th  Regiment,  Col.  Harry  C.  Young. 

20th  Regiment,  Col.  W.  S.  Warriner. 

1st  Motor  Corps,  Lieut. -Col.  John  W.  Decrow. 

1st  Troop  Cavalry,  Capt.  Charles  E.  Reed. 

Committee  on  Naval  Forces 

Naval  Militia.  —  On  January  1,  1917,  the  State  naval 
militia  consisted  of  64  officers  and  778  enlisted  men,  under 
the  orders  of  the  Governor  as  Commander-in-Chief,  but 
subject  to  the  call  of  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

The  Committee  on  Naval  Forces  was  appointed  to 
strengthen  the  work  of  the  naval  militia,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  arrange  for  the  more  effective  protection  of  our 
coast  defenses.  The  scope  of  its  activities  included  all 
branches  of  the  United  States  naval  service  in  the  First 
Naval  District,  extending  from  Chatham,  Mass.,  to  East- 
port,  Me.,  and  embraced:  — 

(a)  Enrollment  of  the  Coast  Defense  Reserve. 

(b)  Enrollment  of  vessels  suitable  for  a  patrol  fleet. 

(c)  Arrangements  for  bases,  arms  and  ammunition;  also  for  supply 
vessels  and  repair  yards  in  connection  therewith. 

36 


((/)  Means  of  communication;  arrangements  for  transportation,  and 
special  necessary  equipment. 

(e)  Co-operation  with  the  naval  militia,  and  assistance  in  commis- 
sioning the  existing  Naval  Flying  Corps  Unit  (a  part  of  the  naval  militia), 
and  in  the  enrollment  of  additional  flying  units. 

(/)  Co-operation  with  all  special  aid  societies,  the  Red  Cross,  and  all 
activities  having  for  their  stated  object  the  welfare  of  the  navy  and 
naval  forces. 

(g)  Directing  all  naval  activities  pertaining  to  the  above  in  that  part 
of  Massachusetts  not  in  the  First  Naval  District  into  proper  channels 
of  the  Second  Naval  District. 

Enrollment. — One  of  the  first  things  done  by  the  Com- 
mittee was  to  go  over  the  subject  of  the  naval  militia  with 
its  commodore,  James  P.  Parker,  in  order  to  assist  him  in 
recruiting  the  organization  up  to  its  full  complement.  The 
sum  of  $200  was  appropriated  for  this  work  by  the  Commit- 
tee on  Public  Safetv. 

Among  the  many  results  obtained  by  the  Committee,  the 
following  appear  to  have  been  the  more  important:  — 

Arrangements  were  made  to  have  the  enrolling  officers 
for  all  classes  of  reserves  located  in  one  and  the  same  place. 
Every  opportunity  was  taken  by  the  Committee  to  stimu- 
late enlistment  in  the  regular  navy  and  the  naval  militia, 
and  particular  emphasis  was  placed  upon  the  need  of  men 
for  the  naval  coast  defense  patrol.  In  this  work  great 
assistance  was  given  by  the  Naval  Training  Association, 
which  published  information  by  pamphlets,  for  circulation 
not  only  in  Massachusetts,  but  likewise  in  Maine,  Vermont 
and  New  York.  Enrolling  parties  were  sent  to  Province- 
town,  Duxbury,  Scituate,  Cohasset,  Plymouth,  Hingham, 
Brockton,  Salem,  Gloucester  and  to  various  points  along 
the  Maine  coast,  to  canvass  the  district  as  far  as  possible 
and  stimulate  interest  in  enrollment. 

Patrol  Boats.  —  Enrolling  blanks  were  issued  covering  all 
boats  in  the  First  Naval  District  suitable  for  a  patrol  fleet. 
The  data  so  collected  showed  over  one  hundred  steam 
yachts  and  motor  boats  ready  for  service  in  case  of  war,  and 
arrangements  were  made  by  the  Committee  to  put  the  best 

37 


of  these  immediately  into  commission  if  the  demand  arose. 
Moreover,  in  order  that  the  Committee  might  keep  in  full 
touch  with  the  needs  of  the  Commandant  at  the  Navy 
Yard,  three  of  its  members  were  enrolled  on  his  staff  as 
civilian  aids. 

School  for  Ensigns.  —  Through  the  efforts  of  the  Com- 
mittee, the  Navy  Department  was  materially  aided  in  the 
establishment  at  the  Corinthian  Yacht  Club,  Marblehead, 
of  a  School  for  Ensigns;  and  also  in  housing  5,000  regular 
seamen  about  to  be  quartered  in  the  Marblehead  District. 
Early  in  April  a  considerable  number  of  machine  guns 
were  obtained  from  the  Navy  Department  to  be  placed  on 
board  the  various  patrol  boats  that  were  taken  by  the 
government. 

Squantum.  —  About  five  hundred  candidates  for  the 
Massachusetts  School  for  Naval  Air  Service  were  inter- 
viewed by  the  Committee,  and  on  its  recommendation  were 
afterwards  examined  at  the  Navy  Yard.  As  a  result  of  a 
visit  to  the  Navy  Department  at  Washington,  two  aero- 
planes were  secured  for  the  district,  with  the  promise  of 
two  additional  ones.  The  Committee  erected  and  equipped, 
at  an  expense  of  $32,998,  the  necessary  buildings  and  han- 
gars for  the  Massachusetts  School  for  Naval  Air  Service  at 
Squantum,  in  which  classes  of  thirty  men  at  a  time,  between 
the  ages  of  eighteen  and  twenty-four,  were  given  the  pre- 
liminary training  in  flying  requisite  for  a  commission  in  the 
Naval  Reserve  Flying  Corps.  The  sum  of  $1,500  was 
secured  from  the  city  of  Quincy,  of  which  Squantum  is  a 
part,  to  meet  the  expense  of  equipping  the  field  with  water. 
The  city  of  Quincy  also  arranged  for  placing  guards  around 
the  grounds,  the  guarding  on  the  water  side  being  done  by 
the  navy.  The  organization  was  formally  taken  over  by 
the  Department  of  the  Navy  May  11,  1917. 

According  to  a  ruling  of  the  Navy  Department,  the 
moment  a  unit  of  the  naval  militia  reported  at  the  armory 
it  came  de  facto  under  the  control  of  the  United  States. 
This  at  once  severed  its  relations  with  the  State,  and  all 

38 


further  activities  in  its  behalf  on  the  part  of  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safely  became  unnecessary.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  any  of  the  National  Guard  mobilized,  the  War  Depart- 
ment did  not  necessarily  take  them  over  immediately,  and 
the  Committee's  services  were  still  required  during  the  in- 
terim awaiting  action  by  the  government,  as  will  be  shown 
later. 


39 


CHAPTER  V 
LOCAL   DEFENSE  — Continued 

To  return  to  the  land  forces.  Between  April  G  and  July 
28,  at  which  time  the  government  formally  took  over  the 
National  Guard,  the  labor  of  seeing  to  its  proper  equipment 
and  recruiting  it  to  war  strength  became  the  special  care  of 
the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

This  task  was  beset  with  many  difficulties  and  constant 
discouragement.  To  begin  with,  there  was  a  great  scarcity 
of  man  power.  Many  of  the  Guard  came  back  from  the 
Texan  Border  discouraged  and  disillusioned,  realizing  that 
playing  at  war  at  home  and  the  real  business  of  war  were 
entirely  different  propositions.  Others  felt  that  as  National 
Guards  they  had  been  discriminated  against,  and  this  they 
strongly  resented.  The  result  was  that  drills  were  not  at- 
tended, men  and  officers  wanted  to  resign,  and  the  force 
was  threatened  with  demoralization.  Our  total  United 
States  National  Guard  numbered  but  150,000  men  available 
for  field  service  at  short  notice.  Still  further,  the  United 
States  Army  was  said  to  be  unable  to  put  more  than  50,000 
men  into  the  field,  so  many  of  the  Regular  Troops  were 
with  the  coast  defenses,  and  in  the  Philippines,  Alaska  and 
Hawaii.  The  Secretary  of  War  had  given  his  estimate  for 
equipping  the  National  Guard,  but  there  appeared  to  be 
no  money  obtainable  for  that  purpose,  nor  was  it  known 
how  soon  the  government  could  or  would  furnish  the  neces- 
sary means.  It  appeared,  therefore,  to  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee advisable  to  find  out  at  once  from  manufacturers, 
and  others  capable  of  furnishing  overcoats,  shoes,  gloves, 
underwear,  etc.,  what  standard  equipment  was  available  in 
the  country,  and  what  could  be  supplied  at  short  notice,  so 
as  to  collect  the  necessary  furnishings  either  through  State 
agencies  or  private  sources.     The  status  of  enlistment  also 

40 


was  at  that  time  far  below  the  required  standard.  The 
preceding  January  there  were  but  54  enlistments  in  Massa- 
chusetts, when  200  a  month  were  thought  to  be  necessary  to 
maintain  our  peace  strength;  while  to  make  up  the  com- 
plement of  men  necessary  to  full  war  strength  would  require 
6,000  or  7,000  more  men  than  we  had. 

If,  under  orders  from  Washington,  our  National  Guard 
units  should  be  called  upon  to  protect  the  State,  they  woidd 
thereby  become  de  facto  Federal  troops.  If  the  Governor, 
however,  took  the  initiative,  they  would  remain  State  troops 
,ii!(l  receive  State  pay.  In  the  former  case  they  received 
50  cents  a  day.  As  militia  men  they  received  $1.50  with 
subsistence. 

When  our  troops  were  on  the  Mexican  Border  the  govern- 
ment added  $10  a  month  to  the  soldier's  pay,  and  under 
certain  restrictions  helped  the  dependents  at  home.  Here, 
again,  although  the  government  had  appropriated  $2,000,000 
for  the  relief  of  dependents  of  these  soldiers,  the  plan  did 
not  work  very  well.  The  chief  difficulty  was  that  a  majority 
of  dependents  did  not,  or  would  not,  accept  any  help  except 
in  cases  where  direct  need  existed.  It  seemed  impossible 
for  them,  with  their  American  notions  of  independence,  to 
construe  such  relief  as  not  making  them  objects  of  charity. 
This  honorable  sensitiveness  seemed  inborn  in  our  com- 
munities. The  preceding  year  the  same  objection  had  at 
first  seriously  interfered  with  the  efforts  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Volunteer  Aid  Association,  an  organization  appointed 
by  the  Governor  for  the  express  purpose  of  relieving  the 
families  of  the  soldiers  at  the  Border,  and  supported  by 
popular  subscription.  In  both  cases  it  proved  most  diffi- 
cult to  convince  many  dependents,  no  matter  in  what  form 
the  assistance  might  be  offered,  that  they  were  not  being 
pauperized.  In  this  general  connection,  also,  a  Federal 
soldier's  pay  could  not  possibly  support  his  family  unless 
he  was  willing  to  be  helped,  and  he  was  thus  prevented  from 
enlisting  unless  he  had  other  means  of  subsistence;  nor  did 
the  recommendation  of  the  Secretary  of  War  that  the  pay 

41 


be  raised  to  $30  a  month  remove  the  difficulty,  as  that 
amount  would  not  make  a  soldier's  total  receipts  sufficient 
to  maintain  an  average  family.  Such  bodies  of  troops  as 
had  been  in  Texas  were,  under  the  new  call,  authorized  to 
maintain  war  strength;  but  others,  called  out  at  the  same 
time,  were  refused  that  right,  and  had  been  unable  to  get 
the  order  rescinded.  It  appeared,  also,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  Judge  Advocate-General  of  the  army,  that  the  State 
could  not  itself  maintain  an  organized  militia  outside  of  the 
National  Guard  and  before  the  latter  was  taken  into  the 
National  Army.  The  final  outcome  of  this  complicated  sit- 
uation resulted  in  the  morale  of  the  National  Guard  being 
seriously  threatened. 

It  was  fifty-two  years  since  we  had  been  engaged  in  a 
formidable  war,  and  the  early  spring  of  1917  found  the 
United  States  totally  unprepared  by  land,  and  with  a  sea 
strength  less  than  two-thirds  that  of  Germany.  We  were 
also  25,000  men  short  of  the  complement  necessary  to  man 
such  fleet  as  we  had.  Our  Regular  Army  was  not  up  to  the 
authorized  standard  of  its  strength  by  many  thousands. 
What  ordnance  we  possessed  was  limited  in  quantity,  poor 
in  quality  and  out  of  date.  We  had  a  few  badly  constructed 
and  useless  types  of  machine  guns,  besides  a  negligible 
number  of  English  make  and  design.  There  was  not  at 
this  time  within  the  whole  breadth  of  the  United  States  a 
single  heavy  field  gun,  one  fighting  airship,  any  aviators  or 
schools  for  their  instruction.  Thus  Massachusetts,  on  April 
6,  1917,  with  war  declared,  had  no  defense,  naval  or  mili- 
tary, State  or  national,  on  which  she  could  properly  rely. 
Naked  of  equipment  and  man  power,  she  was  helpless  to 
oppose  the  Hun,  who  might  land  anywhere  on  our  coast, 
from  Chatham,  Mass.,  to  Eastport,  Me.,  and  eventually 
inarch  up  and  down  State  Street  to  his  heart's  content. 

The  foregoing  conditions  brought  forcibly  to  the  attention 
of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  the  pressing  need  of 
strengthening  our  military  efficiency  so  far  as  possible  with 
the  limited  material  on  hand. 

42 


Committee  on  Military  Equipment  and  Supplies 

The  Executive  Committee  had  already  formally  affirmed 
that  the  obvious  function  and  obligation  of  the  Committee 
on  Military  Equipment  and  Supplies  was  to  keep  in  touch 
with  the  Adjutant-General's  office,  and  to  ascertain  what 
material  was  readily  obtainable  through  official  channels; 
and  that  whenever  the  Federal  government  should  take  over 
the  National  Guard  of  Massachusetts  in  its  entirety,  then 
the  duties  and  activities  of  the  Committee  should  cease,  or 
be,  turned  into  some  other  useful  channel. 

Accordingly,  the  Committee  began  its  work  by  taking  an 
inventory  of  existing  supplies  throughout  the  Common- 
wealth, and  this  listing  was  kept  fully  up  to  date.  But 
on  July  28,  1917,  the  Massachusetts  National  Guard  was 
merged  into  the  National  Army,  and  henceforth  the  duties 
of  the  Equipment  and  Supplies  Committee  were  directed 
solely  towards  equipping  and  supplying  the  newly  formed 
State  Guard,  the  Committee  ceasing  to  have  further  official 
connection  with  any  other  military  unit. 

As  illustrations  of  the  Committee's  general  promptitude 
and  efficiency,  a  few  interesting  examples  might  be  given  of 
assistance  rendered  the  National  Guard  before  the  State 
Guard  was  established. 

For  instance,  on  April  9,  three  days  after  our  declaration 
of-  war,  an  application  was  made  to  the  Massachusetts  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety  by  Gen.  E.  Leroy  Sweetser,  then 
Adjutant-General,  for  1,350  pairs  of  rubbers  for  the  2d,  6th 
and  9th  Regiments.  These  units  were  performing  arduous 
guard  duty  throughout  the  State,  which  exposed  them  to 
trying  and  severe  vicissitudes  of  weather,  and  more  par- 
ticularly at  this  special  time  to  dangers  arising  from  a  late 
heavy  fall  of  snow.  The  necessity  was  imperative,  and  per- 
mitted no  opportunity  for  bids.  The  Committee  managed 
to  procure  the  required  goods  and  deliver  them  to  the  regi- 
ments on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day. 

Again,  on  April  13,  at  the  request  of  the  authorities  at 
Washington,  1,000  pairs  of  woolen  gloves  were  supplied  to 

43 


(lie  6th  Regiment.  This  requisition  was  received  at  12.30 
P.M.,  but  the  gloves  were  ready  for  delivery  on  the  same 
afternoon. 

On  April  5  and  16  aid  was  requested  in  furnishing  medical 
supplies  for  the  9th  Regiment,  including  practically  every- 
thing required  to  fill  the  medicine  chest  of  that  unit,  and 
covering  a  long  line  of  articles.  It  is  interesting  in  this 
'connection  to  note  that,  although  the  9th  Regiment's  store 
of  medical  supplies  had  become  exhausted  during  its  serv- 
ice on  the  Mexican  Border,  yet,  notwithstanding  repeated 
requisitions  had  subsequently  been  made  on  Washington  to 
replenish  the  same,  no  results  had  been  obtained  after  a 
lapse  of  many  months.  The  Committee,  however,  on  de- 
mand, supplied  the  requirements  within  thirty-six  hours. 

Also,  at  the  request  of  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs, 
the  Committee  made  a  contract  for  10,000  pea-jackets.  The 
chairman  of  the  Naval  Committee  reported  to  the  Equip- 
ment Committee  on  Friday  afternoon,  April  13,  that  the 
Navy  Department  asserted  they  were  unable  to  furnish  pea- 
jackets  to  protect  the  men  who  were  being  enrolled,  the 
market  being  entirely  out  of  regulation  30-ounce  cloth.  At 
the  same  time,  however,  the  Navy  Department  agreed  to 
make  up  these  garments  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  $4.50 
apiece,  —  the  actual  expense  to  the  government,  —  provided 
it  could  be  furnished  with  the  cloth.  Mr.  Preston's  Com- 
mittee quickly  put  itself  in  touch  with  woolen  manufac- 
turers handling  this  grade  of  cloth,  and  after  scouring  the 
country  ascertained  that  the  New  York  representative  of 
the  American  Woolen  Company  having  special  charge  of  the 
Uniform  Department  was  expected  in  Boston  the  following 
day,  Saturday,  to  attend  a  wedding.  The  wedding  festivi- 
ties were  broken  in  upon  to  the  extent  of  an  interview  with 
this  representative,  who  after  his  return  to  New  York  tele- 
phoned the  Committee  at  11  o'clock  on  Monday  morning 
that  he  had  unearthed  30,000  yards  of  the  required  cloth  of 
a  quality  which  would  pass  government  inspection.  The 
result  was,  that  after  a  further  conference  of  the  two  Com- 

44 


m  it  tees  and  the  Boston  representative  of  the  manufacturer, 
within  an  hour,  at  12  o'clock,  a  contract  was  closed  for  the 
entire  amount  of  goods  on  the  basis  of  $13.50  per  garment. 
The  regular  cost  to  the  government  of  these  pea-jackets 
had  heretofore  been  between  $14.26  and  $14.75  per  gar- 
ment. 

Oni fiiting  State  Guard.  —  In  the  equipment  of  the  State 
Guard,  because  of  the  delays  incident  to  the  organization  of 
that  body,  ample  opportunity  was  given  to  provide  every 
necessity,  and  on  a  strictly  competitive  basis.  The  prices 
then  paid  were  at  least  as  low  as  it  was  possible  to  obtain 
goods  of  similar  quality  at  the  time  the  purchases  were 
made.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  movement  of 
prices  during  this  period  was  very  rapid,  and  the  difficulties 
of  obtaining  material  of  good  quality  multiplied.  Inasmuch, 
also,  as  it  was  not  practical  to  forecast  the  entire  needs  of 
the  State  Guard  in  relation  to  their  various  kinds  of  equip- 
ment, some  of  the  later  purchases  of  the  Committee  were 
necessarily  made  at  a  higher  figure. 

In  illustration  of  this  increase  in  price,  the  Committee 
had  an  option  on  a  bid  for  7,479  Springfield  rifles  (45.70)  at 
$5.75  apiece;  but  when,  after  a  long  wait,  requisitions  were 
finally  received,  it  was  found  impossible  to  purchase  them 
for  less  than  $7.75  per  weapon.  This  delay  was  partly  due 
to  an  unsuccessful  effort  in  the  meantime  to  obtain  "Krag" 
rifles  from  the  government  free  of  charge.  In  respect  to  all 
the  difficulties  and  disappointments  incurred  in  obtaining 
equipment  for  the  State  Guard,  the  authorities  in  charge 
were  obliged  to  feel  their  way  cautiously  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  that  body,  and  could  hardly  be  expected  to  anticipate 
its  full  requirements  very  far  ahead. 

The  expenditure  of  the  Committee  in  the  matter  of  equip- 
ping the  State  Guard,  numbering  8„500  men,  was  $38.50 
per  man,  and  embraced  the  following  articles:  — 


45 


Coats,     .... 

9,500 

Slings, 

5,844 

Hats,      .... 

9,500 

Bayonets,       . 

5,844 

Breeches, 

9,500 

Bayonet  scabbards, 

6,000 

Leggins, 

9,500 

Cartridge  belts,     . 

7,750 

Shirts,     .... 

8,750 

Infantry  figures,   . 

24,083 

Overcoats, 

10,468 

Collar  and  shirt  brassards, 

28,929 

Hat  cords, 

11,382 

Chevrons,       .        .        .        . 

10,693 

Rifles,     .... 

5,844 

Arm  brassards, 

23,846 

111  addition  to  the  above,  915  ponchos,  300  army  rifles 
for  target  practice  at  armories,  officers'  chevrons  and  medical 
supplies  were  purchased.  The  expense  incurred  for  the  en- 
tire outfitting  amounted  to  the  sum  of  $357,565.58. 

The  1st  Motor  Corps  and  the  1st  Troop  of  Cavalry  were 
equipped  by  private  subscription  with  everything  except 
overcoats  and  brassards. 

Commonwealth  Pier. — Many  complaints  had  been  com- 
ing in  regarding  the  unhealthy  conditions  of  the  Common- 
wealth Pier  and  its  use  for  Naval  Reserves.  This  situation 
finally  became  serious.  Inquiry  revealed  that  the  trouble 
was  due  to  the  dust-laden  atmosphere  of  the  buildings, 
brought  about  by  the  constant  tramping  of  the  sailors  over 
the  rough  concrete  floors.  The  Committee  obviated  this 
difficulty  by  having  the  floors  coated  with  a  cement  filler 
paint.  The  expense  of  this  work,  however,  was  assumed  by 
the  Navy  Department. 

Aviation  Field.  —  The  Aviation  Field  at  Squantum,  a 
creation  as  we  have  seen  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety, 
and  established  in  March,  was  also  entirely  equipped  by  the 
Committee,  with  the  sole  exception  of  the  airships  them- 
selves. This  required  36  tents  accommodating  57  cots, 
together  with  all  the  furnishings  for  the  comfort  of  the  men, 
and  in  addition  a  full  line  of  medical  supplies.  This  was 
done  at  the  request  of  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs. 
The  Aviation  Field  was  later,  May  11,  1917,  taken  over  by 
the  government. 

Emergency  Hospital.  —  A  detailed  account  of  the  work  of 
the  Commonwealth  Military  Emergency  Hospital  and  of 


46 


the  Emergency  Health  Committee  will  be  given  later,  but  it 
would  perhaps  be  well  at  this  stage  to  relate  their  obliga- 
tions to  the  Committee  on  Equipment  and  Supplies. 

In  equipping  the  Emergency  Hospital  the  Committee 
eventually  expended  the  sum  of  $18,674.71  for  hospital 
needs  alone.  This  included  iron  bedsteads,  mattresses,  pil- 
lows, bed  linens  and  medical  supplies,  etc.  The  Prison 
Commission  endeavored,  under  chapter  414,  General  Acts 
of  1910,  to  have  the  Committee  purchase  from  them,  wher- 
ever possible,  supplies  that  were  manufactured  at  the  State 
Prison,  including  mattresses,  pillows,  blankets,  tables,  etc. 
The  Committee,  however,  taking  into  consideration  prices 
and  quality,  did  not  consider  themselves  bound  so  to  do, 
reasoning  that  the  law  had  not  contemplated  any  restraint 
on  their  freedom  of  action  in  case  of  an  emergency  such  as 
then  presented  itself.  The  Prison  Commission  was  conse- 
quently placed  on  exactly  the  same  footing  as  any  other 
competitor. 

Influenza  Epidemic.  —  During  the  influenza  epidemic,  the 
Committee,  at  the  request  of  the  Emergency  Health  Com- 
mittee, purchased  supplies  for  the  latter,  with  a  total  ex- 
penditure of  $5,734.74.  This  covered  everything,  including 
cots,  mattresses  and  bed  linens;  and  in  addition  a  long  line 
of  paper  goods,  such  as  napkins,  plates,  drinking  cups,  and 
containers  of  various  kinds,  besides  other  equipment  neces- 
sary for  hospital  uses. 

Relations  with  Washington  on  Equipment 

In  the  summer  of  1916,  when  the  Massachusetts  con- 
tingent of  the  National  Guard  was  at  the  Border,  all  equip- 
ment and  supplies  were  furnished  from  Washington.  This 
practice  was  supposed  to  continue  after  the  troops  came 
back,  yet  it  did  not  always  run  as  smoothly  as  might  have 
been  expected.  The  Executive  Committee,  therefore,  found 
that  it  was  necessary  to  assist,  if  not  to  prompt,  the  authori- 
ties at  Washington,  in  order  to  hasten  fitting  out  the 
Massachusetts  troops  preparatory  to  their  being  called  into 

47 


the  Federal  service.  An  investigation  disclosed  that  our 
contingent  in  the  National  Guard  was  short  some  $600,000 
worth  of  equipment  necessary  to  meet  the  authorized  peace 
strength,  and  substantially  much  more  than  that  amount  for 
authorized  war  strength,  and,  accordingly,  Mr.  W.  B. 
Donham  and  Mr.  Benjamin  Joy  were  sent  to  Washington 
as  representatives  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  to 
discuss  the  whole  subject  of  equipment.  A  partial  success 
followed  their  efforts,  in  so  far  as  they  succeeded  in  acquir- 
ing some  of  the  furnishing  through  the  Militia  Bureau  of 
the  War  Department.  But  the  available  funds  under  the 
existing  government  appropriations  were  small,  and  the 
authorities  distinctly  took  the  position  that,  wherever  it 
was  legally  possible,  they  desired  to  give  to  the  Regular 
Army  the  preference  in  supplying  both  funds  and  equip- 
ment. The  difficulty  at  the  War  Department  seemed  to  be 
that  they  were  not  executing  contracts  at  that  time,  but 
were  waiting  for  congressional  action,  with  the  result 
that  the  shortage  of  equipment  of  the  National  Guard 
appeared  likely  to  be  a  serious  factor,  affecting  its  future 
usefulness. 

After  many  unsuccessful  efforts  to  persuade  the  govern- 
ment to  order  equipment  directly  for  the  Massachusetts 
National  Guard,  arrangements  were  finally  concluded  under 
which  contracts  were  to  be  placed  with  the  War  Depart- 
ment to  the  account  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachu- 
setts, but  only  provided  the  Commonwealth  would  make 
itself  responsible  for  the  expenditures. 

Accordingly,  at  the  recommendation  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  the  Governor  and  Council,  on  March  28,  1917, 
permitted  the  necessary  equipment  for  the  Massachusetts 
National  Guard  troops  to  be  acquired  out  of  the  $1,000,000 
appropriation  for  emergency  purposes  authorized  by  the 
Legislature,  with  the  express  stipulation  that  the  total 
amounts  so  expended  should  not  exceed  the  sum  of  $7.50,000. 

Acting  under  this  authority,  contracts  were  placed  in 
Washington  by  the  War  Department  to  the  account  of  the 

48 


Commonwealth   for  a  large  amount   of  equipment,   which 

was  later  delivered  to  the  Massachusetts  National  Guard. 

The  results,  as  far  as  obtained,  were  in  a  great  measure 
due  to  the  valuable  assistance  of  the  officers  of  the  Militia 
Bureau  in  Washington,  who,  together  with  the  Committee's 
representatives,  wrorked  out  the  plan.  Subsequently,  through 
Mr.  Donham's  efforts,  the  Committee  wras  enabled  to 
arrange  so  that  the  actual  payment  of  the  bills  for  the 
equipment  as  above  ordered  was  made  directly  by  the  War 
Department,  and  the  State  was  consequently  never  called 
upon  to  pay  any  part  of  the  $750,000  authorized  by  the 
Governor  and  Council. 

Largely  as  a  result  of  this  action  by  the  Committee,  the 
Massachusetts  National  Guard  entered  the  Federal  service 
quite  as  fully  equipped  as,  and  probably  far  better  in  most 
respects  than,  any  other  National  Guard  unit.  The  scheme 
was  well  conceived,  ably  carried  out,  and  bore  splendid 
fruit.  To  it  must  be  attributed  the  prompt  readiness  for 
service  of  the  26th  Division,  into  which  our  Massachusetts 
troops  were  subsequently  merged;  and  also  the  fact  that 
this  Division  was  the  first  National  Guard  Division  in  the 
field,  the  first  to  go  across  seas,  and  the  first  over  the  top. 

Committee  on  Emergency  Help  and  Equipment 

Yet  in  the  judgment  of  the  Executive  Committee,  an 
efficient  local  defense  called  not  only  for  properly  equipped 
Guards  to  prevent  or  repel  attack,  but  that  the  resultant 
evil  incident  to  any  such  misadventure  might  be  quickly 
remedied.  With  this  in  view,  and  in  order  to  have  men, 
material  and  equipment  ready  for  reconstruction  work,  a 
Committee  on  Emergency  Help  and  Equipment  was 
formed.  Beginning  February  24  this  Committee  organized 
the  construction  and  material  men  of  the  State,  so  that  all 
building  agencies  throughout  the  Commonwealth  might  be 
available  for  immediate  service.  A  sub-committee  was 
appointed,  with  Mr.  Gow  as  chairman,  and  an  executive 
board,  who  divided  the  State  into  five  geographical  sections, 

49 


each  under  its  own  district  chairman.  Mr.  E.  S.  Larned,  a 
well-known  civil  engineer,  was  employed,  at  the  personal 
expense  of  members  of  the  sub-committee,  to  act  as  secre- 
tary and  organizer,  and  he  gave  his  entire  time  for  several 
months  to  the  duties  involved.  Through  his  efforts  and 
those  of  the  district  chairmen,  every  contractor  and  supplier 
of  building  material  in  the  Commonwealth  signed  a  pledge 
to  furnish  labor,  materials  and  equipment,  without  profit,  at 
the  call  of  his  district  chairman.  Local  chairmen  were 
designated  for  each  city  and  larger  town,  in  order  that  a 
responsible  officer  might  be  quickly  available  in  localities 
where  trouble  arose.  In  addition,  instructions  were  given 
to  the  local  authorities,  railroad  companies  and  heads  of 
commissions  as  to  the  course  of  procedure  when  action  on 
their  part  became  necessary.  An  example  of  the  effective- 
ness of  this  plan  of  organization  took  place  on  Saturday, 
April  21,  1917,  when  the  discovery  was  made  at  the  Spring- 
field Armory  that  emery  had  been  introduced  through  one 
of  the  grease  cups  on  the  main  bearing  of  its  chief  power 
unit,  with  the  evident  purpose  of  ruining  its  mechanism. 
The  officials  in  charge  called  upon  the  chairman  of  the 
Springfield  District  for  help,  who  within  an  hour  had  a 
force  of  men  on  hand,  with  blocking  and  hydraulic  jacks, 
ready  to  jack  up  the  flywheel  and  shaft  and  make  all  neces- 
sary repairs,  with  the  result  that  the  engine  began  running 
as  usual  on  Monday  morning  and  no  time  was  lost. 

Fortunately,  no  serious  emergency  arose  to  test  the  full 
capacity  of  this  organization,  but  the  mere  fact  that  a  body 
of  this  character  existed  with  an  ability  to  quickly  mobilize, 
was  in  itself  a  distinct  element  strengthening  our  defense, 
and  undoubtedly  acted  as  a  check  to  those  very  evils  taking 
place  which  the  Committee  was  fully  equipped  to  prevent 
or  repair.  The  Committee,  however,  did  much  positive  and 
helpful  work.  It  supplied  tent  floors  and  walls,  with  other 
emergency  housing,  for  a  detachment  of  the  9th  Regiment 
stationed  at  the  Watertown  Arsenal;  and  working  through 
I  lie  Aberthaw  Construction  Company  —  who  for  the  pur- 

50 


pose  look  away  a  crew  from  one  of  its  other  jobs -- com- 
pleted the  undertaking  in  two  days.  The  actual  cost  only 
was  charged  for  this  service,  while  the  Watertown  Lumber 
Company  supplied  the  required  lumber  at  a  price  $4  per  M 
below  the  market  price.  The  John  Cavanaugh  Building 
Moving  Company  hauled  four  city  of  Boston  voting  booths, 
at  the  actual  expense  of  men  and  teams,  from  the  yards  of 
the  Boston  election  board  —  which  loaned  the  property  to 
the  State  —  to  Watertown,  where  they  were  used  to  protect 
the  detachment  stationed  there  against  unreasonably  cold 
and  stormy  weather. 

When  it  was  decided  to  erect  buildings  at  Squantum  for 
an  aviation  school,  the  Committee  arranged  with  the  J.  W. 
Bishop  Company  of  Boston  to  construct  the  plant  without 
profit  or  overhead  charges.  The  firm  of  J.  R.  Worcester 
&  Co.  supplied  the  required  engineering,  also  free  of  charge. 
Altogether,  about  $30,000  was  expended  in  the  construction 
of  this  school;  and  when  a  little  later  the  government  took 
over  the  site  for  the  erection  of  the  Victory  Destrover 
Plant,  the  sub-committee  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  salvage 
payment  of  $20,000.  In  the  summer  of  1917  the  9th  Regi- 
ment was  encamped  at  South  Framingham,  and  being  with- 
out proper  sanitary  arrangements  or  shelter  in  inclement 
weather,  it  was  determined  by  the  State  authorities  to  sup- 
ply these  deficiencies.  Accordingly,  an  appropriation  of 
$20,000  wras  given  the  Emergency  Help  and  Equipment 
Committee  with  which  to  install  the  requisite  accommoda- 
tions. Complete  sewerage  and  water  systems  were  put  in, 
with  latrines,  showers,  cook  houses  and  mess  hall,  the  fin- 
ished work  costing  approximately  $16,000.  The  John  F. 
Griffin  Company  erected  the  buildings.  P.  W.  Donoghue 
installed  the  plumbing,  charging  only  the  expense  involved, 
and  Mr.  James  E.  McLaughlin  supplied  all  the  plans  and 
supervised  the  work  without  charge  to  the  State.  Among  a 
few  minor  matters  also  handled  by  the  Emergency  Com- 
mittee was  the  salvage  of  a  State-owned  floating  hangar, 
which  had  gone  adrift  in  Boston  Harbor  during  a  storm, 
and  had  partially  sunk. 

51 


Committee  on   Recruiting 

In  the  organization  of  this  Committee  the  exercise  of  sound 
judgment  with  the  utmost  possible  care  was  required.  In 
all  matters  of  recruiting  it  was  essential  that  neither  the 
birth,  character  nor  antecedents  of  the  would-be  soldier 
should  be  open  to  the  slightest  suspicion.  Pacifists,  anar- 
chists, slackers  and  hyphenated  Americans  were  not  only 
ever  present  as  bogies  in  the  imagination  of  timid  citizens, 
but  hard-headed,  practical  and  intelligent  men  were  un- 
happily only  too  well  assured  of  the  insidious  propaganda, 
disloyalty  and  treachery  that  had  already  been  unearthed; 
while  the  history  of  Von  Papen's  activities,  the  affair  of  the 
"Welland  Canal,  that  of  McAdani  Junction,  and  the  bomb 
exploded  in  the  Court  House,  Boston,  together  with  many 
other  deviltries  prompted  by  the  "kultur"  of  the  ubiquitous 
Hun,  were  still  fresh  in  every  one's  mind. 

As  a  first  step,  about  two  hundred  public-spirited  men 
were  chosen  from  all  sections  of  the  State,  and  from  this 
number  a  chairman,  three  vice-chairmen,  a  secretary  and 
an  executive  board  were  selected.  Sub-committees,  by 
counties,  were  appointed,  each  having  its  separate  chairman, 
as  follows:  - — 

Barnstable,  Dukes,  Nantucket,         .        .        .     Capt.  C.  Lawrence  Barry. 

Berkshire, John  Nicholson. 

Bristol, R.  C.  Davis. 

„  f  James  P.  Phelan. 

{  Joseph  Monette. 

Franklin, John  W.  Haigis. 

Hampden, Col.  Jenness  K.  Dexter. 

Hampshire, W.  H.  Feiker. 

Middlesex  (  R°bert  °'  Dalt°n' 

{  Perry  D.  lhompson. 

Norfolk, George  E.  Adams; 

Plymouth, Charles  Williamson. 

Suffolk, Judge  Michael  J.  Murray. 

iv  J  Herbert  E.  Jennison. 

^,rCeSter'  <  Harry  W.  Smith. 


52 


This  office  carried  with  it  membership  on  the  executive 
board.  The  duty  of  the  county  chairmen  was  to  strengthen 
the  recruiting  campaign,  and  produce  results  in  each  county 
by  forming  sub-committees  in  its  cities  and  towns.  Such 
appointees,  however,  before  final  installation  in  office,  were 
required  to  submit  their  names  to  the  Executive  Committee 
on  Recruiting,  and  by  it  in  turn  to  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

The  personnel  of  the  Executive  Committee  as  finally 
established  contained  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  names. 
Mr.  P.  A.  O'Connell,  the  chairman,  and  Mr.  E.  J.  Sampson, 
the  secretary,  gave  practically  their  entire  time  from  9  a.m. 
to  5.30  p.m.  every  day,  attending  to  the  details  of  the  work, 
answering  correspondence,  and  meeting  the  numberless  visi- 
tors applying  for  information. 

On  March  17,  1917,  a  meeting  of  the  full  committee 
was  held  at  the  State  House,  at  which  Gen.  Leonard  Wood 
addressed  the  members.  Colonel  McCoy,  who  was  in 
charge  of  recruiting  for  the  Regular  Army,  was  also  present 
and  gave  his  views.  Judge  Murray  and  Brigadier-General 
Cole  likewise  spoke.  The  original  scheme  of  organization 
was  outlined  and  accepted  as  the  most  effective  means  of 
getting  recruits.  County  chairmen  especially,  and,  in  fact, 
all  members  of  the  Recruiting  Committee,  were  urged  to 
acquaint  themselves  with  the  various  branches  of  service 
desired  by  the  government,  so  as  to  be  preparedin  a  general 
way  to  answer  questions  or  offer  suggestions. 

Meetings.  —  Meetings  of  the  executive  board  were  held 
three  times  every  week,  the  county  chairmen  coming  from 
the  various  counties  of  the  Commonwealth  for  the  purpose 
of  discussing  the  mixed  problems  constantly  arising  in  each 
•section,  and  to  determine  the  most  effective  methods  of 
obtaining  recruits.  Three  meetings  becoming  unnecessary, 
only  one  a  week  was  held;  and  after  the  organization  be- 
came fully  efficient,  regular  meetings  were  suspended,  and 
bi-weekly  reports  from  each  county  chairman  were  furnished 
to  the  state  chairman.     A  maximum  effort  was  made  to 

53 


encourage  favorable  publicity,  and  to  this  end  proprietors 
of  the  various  newspapers  were  approached,  who  at  once 
responded  to  the  requests  of  the  Committee. 

Hotels  and  Theatres.  —  It  would  seem  that  many  hotels, 
restaurants  and  other  places  of  public  resort  had  a  prejudice 
against  admitting  soldiers  and  sailors.  This  gave  rise  to 
much  adverse  criticism  and  occasional  disorder.  Thereupon 
proprietors  of  hotels  and  theatrical  managers  were  inter- 
viewed, and  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  placing  the 
soldier  and  sailor  in  a  more  favorable  light  before  the  public, 
and  many  of  them  gave  their  immediate  and  loyal  co-opera- 
tion towards  a  better  understanding.  Mr.  Edward  Smith, 
manager  of  several  theatres  in  Boston,  agreed  to  give  pref- 
erence in  choice  of  seats  to  men  in  uniform,  and  a  certain 
number  of  exceptionally  well-located  seats  were  held  by  him 
on  reserve,  at  every  performance,  for  men  in  the  uniform  of 
the  armv  or  navv. 

Advertising.  —  Many  of  the  different  schemes  employed 
for  advertising  throughout  the  Commonwealth  proved  very 
successful,  while  public  speaking  at  patriotic  meetings  and 
flag  raisings,  where  young  men  were  urged  to  join  the  colors, 
was  directed  through  a  Speakers'  Bureau.  Recruiting  tents 
were  erected  at  chosen  localities,  where  addresses  were 
made  daily  and  regimental  bands  furnished  concerts  to 
attract  an  audience.  Many  parades  were  held  during  the 
day  and  torchlight  processions  by  night,  accompanied  by 
martial  music.  Moving-picture  theatres  presented  on  their 
screens  "America  is  Heady,"  ''Boston  Tea  Party,"  "Massa- 
chusetts" and  various  other  sketches  to  stimulate  enlist- 
ment. A  group  of  uniformed  National  Guardsmen  were 
secured  to  travel  through  the  Commonwealth,  doing  a 
sketch  called  "A  Day  in  Camp."  This  last  attracted  a> 
great  deal  of  attention,  as  it  was  sometimes  held  in  public 
parks  or  squares,  and  resulted  in  a  very  large  number  of 
recruits.  In  cities  and  towns,  during  a  recruiting  rally,  a 
roll  of  honor  board  was  set  up  giving  the  names  of  those 
volunteering.     After  the  meeting  a  permanent  board  with 

5i 


the  recruits  listed  was  at  once  located  in  some  prominent 
part  of  the  city.  These  methods  were  found  to  be  mosl 
productive  in  inducing  young  men  to  volunteer. 

Posters  reading  "Men  wanted  for  the  National  Guard 
between  the  ages  of  18  and  30,  with  no  dependents,"  were 
placed  upon  the  dashers  of  all  the  street  railway  cars  in  the 
Commonwealth,  and  likewise  liberally  placarded  in  every 
section  of  the  State,  without  any  attendant  cost.  Over  a 
million  four-page  circulars  explaining  the  heading,  'Men 
wanted  to  join  the  colors,"  were  printed  and  distributed  by 
merchants  and  county  chairmen.  The  New  England  Tele- 
phone and  Telegraph  Company,  also,  sent  out  about  one- 
quarter  of  a  million  of  these  circulars  with  their  monthly 
bills.  Thirty-five  hundred  dollars  was  expended  for  an  ad- 
vertisement on  the  front  page  of  nearly  all  the  daily  papers, 
entitled,  "Red-blooded  men  wanted  to  serve  their  country." 
In  some  cities  whole  pages  were  inserted  in  the  home  papers 
and  paid  for  by  local  committees.  Church  organizations, 
from  one  end  of  the  Commonwealth  to  the  other,  willingly 
gave  the  use  of  their  pulpits  to  accommodate  speakers  dis- 
cussing the  general  features  of  recruiting.  In  the  smaller 
towns  addresses  were  made  from  automobiles  equipped  for 
the  purpose,  and  the  young  men  of  the  locality  urged  to 
join  the  National  Guard.  Often  men  anxious  to  enlist  were 
rejected  as  physically  unfit  for  service,  and  they  had  nothing 
to  show  in  evidence  of  their  willingness  and  patriotism.  In 
consequence,  for  these  men,  and  for  them  only,  the  Com- 
mittee designed  a  "Willing  and  ready"  button,  both  pur- 
chasing and  distributing  thousands  thereof,  their  use  being 
sanctioned  by  legislative  enactment.  The  standing  of  the 
National  Guard  companies  in  the  Commonwealth  was  daily 
forwarded  by  telegram  to  the  Adjutant-General's  office  at 
the  State  House,  and  whenever  a  unit  showed  weakness,  the 
Committee  concentrated  its  forces  to  strengthen  recruiting 
in  that  particular  locality.  Moreover,  the  Committee, 
meeting  a  general  demand,  deemed  it  wise  to  advocate 
universal  compulsory  training  and  service,  and  a  vote  was 


OD 


passed  calling  upon  every  Chamber  of  Commerce  or  Board 
of  Trade  in  the  Commonwealth  to  urge  their  Representative 
in  Congress  to  forward  such  legislation. 

Term  of  Service.  -  -  In  the  early  part  of  the  recruiting  cam- 
paign a  very  serious  difficulty  was  encountered.  Men  en- 
listing in  the  National  Guard  were  obliged  to  sign  for  a  six- 
year  term,  -  -  three  years  in  active  service  and  three  years 
in  the  reserve.  This  requirement  frightened  away  valuable 
material  to  such  an  extent  that  the  Committee  made  it  its 
business,  in  conjunction  with  the  Governor  and  the  Execu- 
tive Committee,  to  do  what  it  could  in  effecting  a  change, 
and  to  limit  the  time  of  enlistments  to  the  period  of  war 
emergency.  The  result  sought,  though  somewhat  delayed, 
was  finally  obtained. 

Transportation.  —  When  in  the  latter  part  of  March,  1917. 
the  State  National  Guard  was  called  out  for  guard  duty  at 
the  railroad  bridges,  canals,  etc.,  the  soldiers  were  entitled  to 
40  cents  a  day  per  man  for  food;  but  inasmuch  as  warm 
food  was  to  be  had  at  the  armories,  the  Recruiting  Commit- 
tee, co-operating  with  the  Transportation  Committee,  ar- 
ranged for  more  or  less  free  transportation  for  the  soldiers  to 
and  from  their  armories.  It  should  be  mentioned  here  that 
the  Boston  Elevated  Railway  Company  and  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  showed  great  willingness 
and  an  exceptionally  fine  spirit  in  helping  this  project 
through. 

Within  a  short  time  enlistments  exceeded  in  number  the 
supply  of  uniforms  ready  at  hand;  yet,  and  mainly  through 
the  efforts  of  the  Committee,  this  difficulty  was  quickly 
removed. 

Recruiting  for  Regular  Army.- -It  was  not  long  before  the 
recruiting  officers  for  the  Regular  Army  asked  the  Commit- 
tee's assistance.  An  investigation  of  the  methods  in  vogue  by 
the  Regular  Army  disclosed  the  fact  that  its  recruiting  sta- 
tions were  in  somewhat  isolated  places,  and  often  difficult 
to  find.  In  response  to  the  Committee's  request  some  of 
these  were  transferred  to  more  convenient  and  prominent 

56 


localities,  the  first  and  distinctly  most  important  change 
being  thai  made  to  the  recruiting  tent  on  Boston  Common. 

Notwithstanding  much  assistance  was  at  this  time  given 
to  the  National  Guard,  very  little  was  being  done  by 
Massachusetts  for  the  Regular  Army.  It  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  there  were  two  different  classes  of  recruiting 
stations  in  the  Commonwealth, -- one  for  the  Regulars, 
and  another  for  the  State  National  Guard.  Complaints 
began  to  come  in  from  the  War  Department  that  recruit- 
ing for  the  Federal  Army  was  not  showing  the  activity 
that  it  ought  to.  It  was  found  that  this  condition  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  National  Guard  of  Massachusetts 
was  very  generally  considered  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
Union,  and  that  many  young  men  had  a  decided  predi- 
lection to  join  its  ranks  as  against  enlistment  in  the 
Regular  Army.  So  strong  was  this  feeling  that  when  the 
former  attained  its  full  peace  strength  and  enlistments 
were  stopped,  many  anxious  to  join  the  colors  hung  back, 
in  order  to  take  their  chance  of  enlisting  as  Massachusetts 
National  Guardsmen  whenever  the  government  permitted 
that  body  to  be  recruited  to  full  war  strength,  rather  than 
to  enlist  without  further  delay  in  the  Regular  Army.  After 
the  recruiting  of  the  National  Guard  to  peace  strength  had 
been  carried  through,  the  executive  board  issued  general 
instructions  to  the  members  of  the  Committee  to  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  for  whatever  service  their  State  or  the 
Nation  might  call  upon  them  to  perform. 

During  this  period  of  waiting  the  Committee  used  its 
organization  to  assist  recruiting  in  the  Regular  Army.  A 
meeting  was  held  by  the  members  of  the  various  Committees 
on  Recruiting  and  Regular  Army  Recruiting  Officers,  where 
a  plan  of  action  was  inaugurated  and  an  extensive  campaign 
started.  Every  method  found  successful  in  the  drive  for 
the  National  Guard  volunteers  was  put  into  operation  over 
again,  and  from  the  Cape  to  the  Berkshires  the  slogan  was, 
"Join  the  Regular  Army."  Arrangements  were  made  with 
Adjutant-General    McCain    at    Washington   to    establish    a 

57 


reliable  record  as  to  how  the  campaign  was  progressing,  and 
he  advised  the  Committee  daily  by  telegraph  of  the  number 
of  men  actually  volunteering  and  accepted. 

President  Wilson  issued  a  proclamation  naming  the  week 
of  June  23  to  30,  1917,  "recruiting  week,"  and  called  upon 
all  men  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty,  unmarried, 
without  dependents,  and  not  engaged  in  work  necessary  to 
the  successful  prosecution  of  the  war,  to  join  the  colors. 

Civilian  Help. — The  Quartermaster's  Reserve  Corps  of 
the  United  States  Army  sought  to  obtain  at  short  notice 
high-grade  civilian  help,  such  as  chauffeurs,  mechanics, 
clerks,  stenographers,  overseers,  cooks,  teamsters,  etc.,  and 
permission  was  asked  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
to  grant  the  Department  the  privilege  of  working  through 
its  Recruiting  Committee.  This  was  given,  and  in  two 
weeks'  time  sufficient  numbers  of  men  were  obtained  to  fill 
all  units  asked  for. 

First  Liberty  Loan.  -  -  Just  before  the  First  Liberty  Loan 
drive  the  Committee  felt  that  it  could  be  of  service  to  the 
Treasury  Department  in  helping  the  drive.  Accordingly,  a 
meeting  was  called  at  the  State  House,  attended  by  three 
or  four  hundred  members  of  the  Committee,  and  to  whom 
an  address  was  delivered  by  Mr.  A.  L.  Aiken,  Governor  of 
the  Federal  Reserve  Bank.  Plans  were  made  to  assist  in  float- 
ing the  loan,  and  every  member  of  the  Committee  through- 
out the  Commonwealth  strove  to  make  it  a  success.  A 
very  high  grade  of  work  in  this  connection  was  done  by  the 
county  chairmen,  and  always  with  a  willing  spirit. 

Recruiting  National  Guard  to  Peace  Strength.  —  The  most 
exacting  effort  required  of  the  Committee  was  to  build  up 
the  National  Guard.  On  March  1,  1916,  the  total  number 
of  men  in  the  State  available  for  military  service  was 
(507,466.  Bv  this  is  meant  those  men  in  the  Common- 
wealth  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five;  and 
of  this  number  7,271  were  mustered  into  the  Volunteer 
Militia  in  response  to  the  call  of  the  President,  June  18, 
1916,  for  service  on  the  Mexican  Border.     Massachusetts 

58 


was  at  that  time  asked  to  furnish  an  organization,  the 
strength  of  which  was  to  be  9,647  men.     Of  this  number 

only  S.457  were  secured.  Among  them  were  1,444  who  had 
dependents  and  who  should  never  have  been  accepted. 
Such  was  the  situation  prior  to  the  formation  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety's  Recruiting  Committee,  the 
National  Guard  remaining  at  the  Border  from  the  latter 
part  of  June  to  the  early  part  of  November,  1916. 

The  first  big  recruiting  drive  started  March  24,  1917, 
when  the  National  Guard  showed  a  strength  of  9,171.  At 
that  time  various  National  Guard  units  were  called  into  the 
Federal  service  to  guard  public  utilities,  such  as  bridges, 
railways,  terminals  and  industrial  plants.  The  strength  of 
all  organizations  was  authorized  to  be  increased  from  the 
original  peace  strength  of  the  National  Guard  organization 
to  the  war  strength  prescribed  by  the  National  Defense  Act, 
enlarging  infantry  companies  from  65  to  100,  and  other 
branches  correspondingly. 

In  the  first  six  days  of  the  drive  1,191  men  wTere  enlisted 
and  hundreds  were  placed  on  waiting  lists.  On  June  30, 
1917,  the  enlisted  strength  of  the  Massachusetts  National 
Guard  was  15,749  men,  so  that  from  March  24  to  June  30, 
6,578  men  had  volunteered  and  been  examined  and  accepted 
for  service. 

Recruiting  National  Guard  to  War  Strength.  — The  Massa- 
chusetts National  Guard  lacked  500  men  to  bring  it  up  to 
peace  strength,  and  6,000  to  war  strength.  At  the  time  we 
entered  the  war  the  War  Department  at  Washington  de- 
clared its  intention  to  recruit  the  National  Guard  in  everv 
State  to  war  strength,  so  that  in  case  of  emergency  500,000 
men  would  be  available  for  duty.  How  quickly  the  Com- 
monwealth responded  to  the  call  is  a  matter  of  just  pride 
on  her  part.  Under  the  Committee's  very  efficient  chair- 
man, Mr.  P.  A.  O'Connell,  the  Massachusetts  National 
Guard,  in  less  than  three  days,  was  brought  up  to  peace 
strength.  The  task  then  remained  of  recruiting  to  the  com- 
plement necessary  for  war  strength. 

59 


To  accomplish  this,  sub-committees  were  rapidly  organ- 
ized in  practically  every  city  and  town.  Their  specific  duty 
was  to  hold  rallies,  to  arouse  interest  in  recruiting,  to  adver- 
tise and  to  canvass  the  State.  So  well  was  this  obligation 
performed  that  in  one  day  over  900  men  for  the  Massa- 
chusetts National  Guard  were  enlisted  and  sworn  in.  At 
the  time  the  Massachusetts  National  Guard  became  feder- 
alized, July  28,  1917,  practically  the  entire  quota  necessary 
to  bring  it  up  to  war  strength  had  been  obtained,  502  officers 
and  15,908  enlisted  men  being  available  for  induction  into 
the  Federal  service  as  against  305  officers  and  10,362  men 
on  March  30,  1917.  This  was  due  almost  entirelv  to  the 
splendid  efforts  which  were  put  forth  by  the  Recruiting 
Committee  and  its  various  sub-committees,  and  was  the 
more  creditable  on  account  of  the  position  taken  by  the 
authorities  at  Washington.  On  March  30,  1917,  a  telegram 
was  sent  to  the  chief  of  the  Militia  Bureau,  requesting 
authority  to  recruit  all  units  of  the  Massachusetts  National 
Guard  to  war  strength.  The  reply  coming  from  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  advised  the  suspension  of  all  recruiting  until 
Congress  had  perfected  certain  changes  in  the  law,  and  giv- 
ing in  excuse  a  shortage  of  equipment.  This  news  was  so 
discouraging  that  not  a  few  men  already  enlisted  applied 
for  their  discharge  in  order  to  recruit  in  the  Regular  Army 
or  the  Navy,  causing  many  first-rate  soldiers  to  be  lost  to 
the  National  Guard. 

Notwithstanding  every  drawback  and  vicissitude,  and 
greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  Commonwealth,  a  wonderful 
result  followed.  The  following  figures  were  furnished,  cor- 
rected to  August  1,  1917,  or  to  just  before  the  first  call  under 
the  Selective  Draft  Act :  — 

Regular  Army  Volunteers  in  New  England 

Maine, 801 

New  Hampshire, 47-1 

Vermont, .  109 

Khode  Island, 761 

Total, 2,145 

60 


Massachusetts  obtained  during  the  same  period  8,335 
volunteers  for  the  Regular  Army,  or  about  four  times  as 
many  as  all  the  other  New  England  States  combined. 

Other  Comparisons. 


State. 


Population. 


Recruits 
obtained. 


Ohio, 
Texas, 
Missouri, 
Massachusetts, 


5,150,356 
4,429,566 
3,410,692 
3,719,156 


8,022 
5,882 
7,194 
8,335 


Massachusetts  was  one  of  seventeen  of  the  forty-eight 
States  in  the  Union  to  enlist  its  Regular  Army  quota  before 
August  31,  1917,  or,  in  other  words,  before  the  Selective 
Draft  went  into  effect.  Of  the  thirty-one  States  that  did 
not  so  obtain  their  quota,  fourteen  were  south  of  Mason 
and  Dixon's  Line.  No  southern  State  east  of  the  Mississippi 
obtained  its  quota  by  August  1.  There  were  but  four  other 
States  in  the  Union  that  secured  a  greater  number  of  Regu- 
lar Armv  volunteer  recruits  than  Massachusetts.  These 
States  were  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Illinois  and  Indiana. 
Indiana  received  but  500  more  than  Massachusetts,  and  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind,  in  comparing  Indiana  with  Massa- 
chusetts, that  the  National  Guard  of  Indiana  was  less  than 
one-quarter  of  the  size  of  the  National  Guard  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Therefore,  if  we  were  to  add  the  National  Guard 
recruits  to  the  Regular  Army  recruits,  Massachusetts  would 
have  a  very  much  larger  number  of  recruits  than  Indiana, 
thereby  placing  Massachusetts  fourth,  —  in  fact,  very  close 
to  Illinois  with  a  population  nearly  double. 


61 


CHAPTER  VI 

COMMITTEE    ON    PREVENTION    OF    SOCIAL    EVILS 
SURROUNDING   MILITARY   CAMPS 

In  addition  to  the  Preparatory  Committees,  other  com- 
mittees were  subsequently  formed  directly  or  indirectly 
affecting  military  preparation  and  efficiency,  which  in  the 
aggregate  did  much  towards  raising  the  standard  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts troops  and  making  them  the  first  to  be  ready  for 
active  service.  Among  these  was  the  Committee  on  Pre- 
vention of  Social  Evils  Surrounding  Military  Camps :  — 

P.  A.  O'Connell,  Chairman. 
George  H.  Lyman,  Vice-Chairman. 
W.  A.  L.  Bazeley,  Secretary. 


Walter  C.  Baylies. 
Allison  G.  Catheron. 
J.  Randolph  Coolidge,  Jr. 
Dr.  W.  R.  Ellis. 
George  T.  Keyes. 
E.  W.  Longley. 
Levi  H.  Greenwood. 
Judge  M.  J.  Murray. 


James  J.  Phelan. 
A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
Philip  Stockton. 
Ferdinand  Strauss. 
Harry  K.  White. 
Edward  J.  Sampson. 
Philip  W.  Wrenn. 


It  was  some  months  before  the  members  of  the  Executive 
Committee  were  ready  to  admit  how  dangerous  and  threat- 
ening to  the  public  safety  was  the  social  evil,  not  only  as  a 
chief  demoralizing  agency,  but  as  directly  undermining  the 
efficiency  of  the  soldier.  A  general  opinion  seemed  to  pre- 
vail that  consideration  of  such  matters  was  solely  within 
the  province  of  the  moralist,  and  should  be  regulated  either 
by  recognized  State  bodies  or  by  private  associations  organ- 
ized for  the  purpose. 

On  the  journal  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  credit  page 
of  the  American  people  is  overwritten  with  a  truly  wonder- 
ful record  of  national  development.     Our  growth  and  great- 

62 


ness  as  a  Nation  of  power.,  of  wealth,  of  accomplishment 
beyond  dispute,  no  man  may  deny.  Although  our  revered 
ancestors  who  founded  the  Republic  strove  to  stamp  upon 
our  national  character  the  force  of  their  moral  and  religious 
conviction,  they  never  forgot  that  the  public  weal  and  the 
practical  side  of  life  were  closely  allied. 

The  professed  ethics  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  of  the  Puri- 
tans, Scotch  Presbyterians,  French  refugees  and  others  — 
God-fearing  men,  who,  in  part  altruists,  and  in  part  shrewd, 
keen  observers  of  human  nature,  gave  the  incentive  to  the 
ideal  American  spirit  —  championed  to  the  utmost  every 
moral  principle.  Yet  these  forefathers  likewise  recognized 
how  immorality  had  sapped  the  life-blood  of  dynasties  and 
been  the  scourge  of  enduring  success.  They  knew  full  well 
that  in  the  battle  of  morality  against  vice  the  supporting 
influence  of  practical  laws  was  vital,  and  that  a  law  not 
enforced  was  worse  than  futile;  but  also  that  it  was  far 
better  to  forestall  the  commission  of  crime  than  to  await  the 
necessity  of  punishing  it. 

The  manifest  duty,  therefore,  of  the  preventive  Committee 
was  to  remove,  as  far  as  lay  within  its  power,  this  pervading 
evil  - —  with  its  ofttimes  precursor,  drink  — -  so  supremely 
dangerous  to  our  military  efficiency  and  to  the  public  wel- 
fare; and  to  maintain  and  advance  the  soldiers'  physical 
vigor  and  effectiveness  wherever  possible.  The  restraining 
influences  to  be  attained  by  moral  and  religious  instruc- 
tion and  propaganda,  absolutely  essential  as  supporting 
agencies,  were  held  to  be  more  particularly  the  province  of 
organizations  formed  for  the  purpose,  and  not  directly 
functions  for  which  the  Committee  on  Prevention  of  Social 
Evils  Surrounding  Military  Camps  was  primarily  formed 
September  19,  1917. 

During  the  first  eighteen  months  of  the  war  one  of  the 
armies  engaged  had  more  soldiers  in  its  hospitals  incapaci- 
tated by  venereal  disease  than  from  all  battlefield  injuries. 
Besides  the  loss  in  man  power  from  such  disability  there  is 
always  the  specter  of  the  dreadful  harm  that  such  soldiers 

63 


are  capable  of  inflicting  on  their  return  to  civil  life.  Every 
home  for  feeble-minded  children,  every  insane  asylum, 
every  hospital  and  almshouse,  bears  testimony  to  the  awful 
toll  of  mental  and  bodily  health  that  is  exacted  by  venereal 
disease.  From  this  cause  spring  one-third  to  one-half  of 
the  cases  of  insanity;  all  cases  of  paresis,  and  probably 
nearly  all  of  locomotor  ataxia;  many  apoplexies,  paralytic 
strokes,  and  a  large  proportion  of  all  diseases  of  the  heart, 
blood  vessels  and  other  vital  organs. 

Army  authorities  estimated  that  of  young  men  applying 
for  enlistment  prior  to  the  war  one-fifth  were  syphilitic.  A 
foreign  commission,  which  spent  a  year  studying  the  ques- 
tion, gave  as  its  opinion  that  at  least  one-tenth  of  its 
country's  population  was  infected.  In  the  United  States, 
official  estimates  taken  of  the  normal  percentage  of  the 
whole  population  suffering  from  disease  due  directly  or  indi- 
rectly to  this  specific  cause  ranged  from  8  to  16  per  cent. 

The  experience  of  our  troops  on  the  Mexican  Border 
brought  to  the  attention  of  hygienists  and  physicians  with 
added  emphasis  the  gravity  of  the  problem  and  the  dangers 
involved.  The  Committee  therefore  realized  that  a  far- 
reaching  obligation  rested  upon  the  State  to  return  the 
soldiers  to  civil  life  uncontaminated  with  any  disease  that 
would  make  them  for  years  afterwards  unfit  members  of  the 
community.  They  also  felt  it  to  be  of  equal  importance 
that  the  womanhood  of  the  State  should  be  protected  in 
this  respect. 

The  first  step  taken  by  the  Committee  was  to  establish 
its  own  police  force  for  active  duty  at  Ayer,  and  in  the 
towns  and  cities  in  the  vicinity  of  Camp  Devens.  This 
was  decided  upon  after  it  was  proved  that  sufficient  police 
protection  could  not  otherwise  be  secured.  Therefore 
eleven  men,  in  the  service  and  pay  of  the  Committee,  with 
a  chief  in  charge,  were  organized  as  a  vice  squad  to  safe- 
guard the  morals  and  health  not  only  of  the  contingent  at 
(amp  Devens,  but  also  of  the  civilian  population  with 
whom  the  soldiers  were  in  more  or  less  daily  contact. 

64 


It  being  found  that  there  were  no  adequate  quarters  to 
be  hired  in  Aver,  the  town  authorities  allowed  the  Com- 
mittee to  make  use  of  a  section  of  the  ground  floor  in  the 
Town  Hall  as  a  detention  room  for  women,  and  this  cour- 
tesy was  extended  until  the  end  of  the  war.  Here  the  Com- 
mittee immediately  proceeded  to  build  necessary  partitions, 
to  install  cots,  and  to  furnish  the  required  bed  clothing, 
toilet  articles,  etc.,  for  the  abandoned  women  visiting 
Camp  Devens  and  the  surrounding  towns,  who,  when  taken 
into  custody  by  the  Committee's  officers,  were  placed  in 
chafrge  of  the  matron,  Mrs.  Sugrue,  pending  trial  or  such 
other  disposition  of  the  charges  against  them  as  was  deemed 
most  advisable. 

Before  any  of  the  draft  army  arrived  at  Camp  Devens 
the  Committee  had  its  headquarters  well  established  at  the 
Vicarage,  and  from  that  time  on  its  agents  were  unremit- 
tingly at  work  either  arresting  or  warning  abandoned  women 
out  of  the  town,  besides  seeing  to  it  that  no  disorderly 
houses  were  maintained  in  any  locality  adjacent  to  the 
encampment.  But  as  the  camp  grew  in  numbers,  so  the 
problems  of  the  Committee  became  more  complex,  and 
other  quarters  became  necessary.  Thereupon  the  Com- 
mittee obtained  from  the  War  Camp  Community  permis- 
sion to  build  on  a  piece  of  land  where  the  Soldiers'  Club  was 
already  located,  and  erected  a  portable  building  consisting 
of  an  enclosed  porch  6  by  12  feet,  an  office  12  by  12,  bath- 
room, passageway,  and  a  12  by  12  bedroom.  This  was 
done  at  a  cost  of  $1,567.78. 

For  the  first  several  months  the  Committee's  agents  were 
appointed  as  constables  in  the  various  cities  and  towns 
surrounding  the  camp.  This  was  found  not  to  work  satis- 
factorilv,  as  it  was  necessarv  thev  should  have  much  wider 
powers,  so  an  effort  was  made  to  have  them  commissioned 
as  State  Police.  This  matter  was  taken  up  with  Gover- 
nor McCall,  and  after  a  conference  between  him,  Chief 
Plunkett  of  the  State  Police,  and  members  of  the  Commit- 
tee, the  Committee's  agents  were  appointed  as  State  Police 

65 


and  vested  with  practically  State-wide  authority.  In  order 
to  create  still  more  efficient  means  of  handling  the  situation, 
on  June  10,  1918,  Inspector  Edward  P.  O'Halloran  of  the 
Newton  Police  Department,  by  which  body  he  was  loaned 
and  very  highly  recommended,  was  placed  by  the  Commit- 
tee in  charge  of  its  agents  at  Ayer,  his  service  terminating 
with  the  war.  Under  his  supervision  a  very  much  greater 
efficiency  in  handling  the  situation  was  quickly  brought 
about. 

On  October  3,  1917,  at  the  request  of  the  Committee,  the 
Governor's  Council  made  an  appropriation  of  $10,000  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  the  environment  of  Camp  Devens 
free  from  immoral  women  and  houses.  This  was  charged 
to  the  emergency  appropriation  of  $1,000,000. 

Yet  there  existed  no  well-established  body  in  the  United 
States  experienced  in  such  matters,  and  to  whom  the  Com- 
mittee could  apply  either  for  information  or  advice.  Con- 
sequently, on  September  18,  Messrs.  O'Connell  and  Bazeley, 
in  behalf  of  the  Committee,  visited  four  of  the  Canadian 
cantonments,  where  thev7  obtained  most  valuable  informa- 
tion  regarding  the  best  methods  to  be  adopted  in  military 
camps. 

Arriving  in  Ottawa  they  met  Lieutenant-General,  the 
Hon.  Sir  Sam  Hughes,  who  became  greatly  interested  in  the 
purpose  of  their  visit,  as  the  subject  was  one  which  con- 
fronted him  during  his  term  of  office  as  Minister  of  War. 
He  stated  as  his  firm  conviction,  and  this  seemed  to  be  the 
prevailing  opinion  among  military  men  in  Canada,  that 
venereal  disease  was  probably  the  greatest  remaining  cause 
of  military  ineffectiveness  due  to  sickness,  and  should  be 
rigidly  controlled  both  in  the  interests  of  the  troops  and 
the  public;  that  the  question  was  very  largely  one  of  disci- 
pline, not  only  on  the  part  of  the  officers  commanding,  but 
of  the  civil  authorities,  and  that  vigorous  police  measures 
were  absolutely  necessary  if  the  soldiers  were  to  be  kept 
effective  for  the  work  they  were  called  upon  to  perform; 
also  that  no  amount  of  argument  or  preaching  could  or 

66 


would  lake  the  place  of  strict  police  supervision.  He  like- 
wise submitted  the  substance  of  a  report  which  gave  the 
very  grave  conditions  in  this  respect  existing  overseas,  omit- 
tin<r,  however,  the  names  of  cities,  towns,  units  and  officers. 
The  first  of  the  camps  visited  was  a  small  location  called 
Rockville,  just  outside  of  Ottawa.  This  camp,  impossible 
to  enter  without  a  permit,  had  about  600  men  training  for 
the  Signal  Corps,  and  the  entire  neighborhood  was  patrolled 
by  guards.  The  number  of  men  infected  were  compara- 
tive! v  few. 

The  next  place  called  at  was  Camp  Pettawawa,  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  from  OttawTa.  This 
location  was  about  one  hundred  square  miles  in  area,  with 
its  only  approach  over  a  bridge  on  which  a  guard  was  posted 
who  let  no  one  pass  without  a  permit.  Here  the  number  of 
infected  men  was  something  less  than  50  out  of  a  grand 
total  of  3,000.  Substantially  all  of  these  infections  were 
the  result  of  leaves  of  absence  spent  in  Montreal,  Ottawa, 
Toronto  and  other  large  cities.  The  nearest  town,  Pem- 
broke, about  thirteen  and  one-half  miles  away  and  not 
easily  reached,  was  reasonably  clear  of  prostitutes  and 
houses  of  ill  fame. 

The  conditions  at  Camp  Borden,  Ontario,  located  about 
seventy  miles  from  Toronto,  were  next  examined.  This 
camp,  like  Camp  Pettawawa,  was  isolated,  the  nearest  town 
being  about  eight  miles  distant  and  having  a  population  of 
somewhat  less  than  5,000.  At  this  cantonment  the  Com- 
mittee's representatives  met  General  Logge  wTho  was  in 
command,  the  various  officers  of  his  staff,  and  also  the 
assistant  director  of  the  medical  staff.  Here,  again,  a  per- 
mit was  necessary  for  admission,  and,  moreover,  there  was 
no  local  problem  to  deal  with. 

In  no  Canadian  camp  were  men  allowed  to  leave  at  night 
without  showing  a  pass,  and  this  was  seldom  given;  but  a 
very  serious  danger  developed  in  all  these  camps  through 
the  leaves  of  absence  granted  to  about  10  per  cent  of  the 
soldiers  at  a  time,  generally  beginning  at  the  week  end  and 

67 


covering  a  period  of  two  or  three  days.  When  these  men 
visited  Toronto  or  the  other  large  cities  very  many  of  them 
returned  infected.  It  was  said  that,  at  the  Military  Base 
Hospital  stationed  in  Toronto,  the  average  number  of 
soldiers  under  treatment  as  a  result  of  venereal  disease  was 
about  150. 

The  Committee  next  went  to  Camp  Valcartier,  situated 
about  seventeen  miles  from  Quebec.  This  was  isolated 
somewhat  in  the  same  way  as  the  other  camps,  with  no 
means  of  reaching  it  except  by  a  single  sentry-guarded  high- 
way. This  cantonment  covered  about  thirty-five  square 
miles  and  was  reasonably  free  from  outside  influences.  Out 
of  a  contingent  of  about  3,000  men  there  were  but  48  in  the 
hospital  who  were  infected.  The  problem  here  was  exactly 
like  that  of  the  other  camps  visited,  the  infection  being 
almost  universally  brought  back  by  men  who  had  visited 
cities  on  leave  of  absence. 

General  Logge  stated  that  nothing  but  strong  police 
measures  would  ever  be  effective  in  preventing  the  evil  in 
question,  and  that  a  provost  guard,  co-operating  with  the 
civil  authorities,  who  would  not  permit  any  one  to  enter  a 
given  zone  as  established  by  the  military  and  civil  authori- 
ties, was  absolutely  essential  if  camp  visitors  were  to  be 
kept  away.  This,  of  course,  could  be  done  very  easily  at 
the  more  segregated  Canadian  camps,  —  as  was  also  the 
case  at  Westfield,  Mass.,  —  but  the  problem  at  Ayer  was 
much  more  difficult,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  public  high- 
way passed  directly  along  side  of  the  camp,  and  it  was 
doubtful  if  it  could  be  legally  closed  to  travel. 

The  problem  of  Canada  was  so  different  from  what  con- 
fronted Massachusetts  that  it  was  not  easy  to  apply  a  com- 
parison. What  our  interests  demanded  was,  first,  more 
stringent  laws,  and  then  the  co-operation  of  the  civil  author- 
ities with  the  officers  in  command  at  the  camps  in  enforcing 
them.  When,  as  at  Camp  Devens,  soldiers  were  permitted 
to  leave  the  cantonment  every  night,  and  visitors  to  enter, 
during  the  daytime,  Sundays  included,  and  up  to  10  p.m., 

68 


it  would  always  remain  extremely  difficult,  to  handle  the 
situation.  The  Committee  also  judged  it  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  a  provost  guard  of  sufficient  strength  be  estab- 
lished outside  of  all  camps,  which  should  work  in  conjunc- 
tion with  local  and  District  Police;  and  in  the  case  of  Ayer 
as  many  as  100  men,  preferably  non-commissioned  officers, 
would  be  necessary.  The  experience  of  the  military  au- 
thorities in  Canada  proved  that  the  non-com.  was  more 
effective  in  handling  the  situation  than  the  commissioned 
officer.  He  was  less  apt  to  make  allowances  or  to  accept 
excuses,  and  therefore  held  the  soldier  right  up  to  the  letter 
of  the  law.     He  took  nothing  whatsoever  for  granted. 

When  Secretary  of  War  Baker  visited  Boston,  October  4, 
1917,  the  Committee  had  a  conference  with  him  respecting 
its  work  and  its  needs,  and  at  the  Secretary's  suggestion, 
Mr.  O'Connell,  on  October  18,  went  to  Washington  and 
conferred  with  Mr.  Fosdick,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Training  Camp  Activities,  and  with  the  Surgeon-General's 
office,  rehearsing  suggestions  he  had  made  to  the  Secretary. 
Several  of  these  were  adopted  and  put  into  effect,  including 
especially :  — 

1.  Provision  for  a  provost  guard  around  Camp  Devens. 

2.  Compulsory  prophylactic  treatment,  with  established  and  well- 
equipped  stations  therefor  in  Ayer. 

3.  Examinations  of  privates  for  venereal  diseases  every  two  weeks. 

4.  Limiting  passes  from  the  camp. 

5.  Forbidding  women  to  enter  the  camp  after  sundown. 

This  last  was  most  important,  as  women  in  large  numbers 
were  being  permitted  to  enter  the  camp  at  practically  all 
hours  of  the  night,  some  remaining  all  night. 

6.  A  social  case  sheet,  in  the  interest  of  the  military  and  local  authori- 
ties and  the  Committee. 

This  sheet,  or  questionnaire,  registered  the  patient's 
name,  rank,  regimental  number,  unit,  date  of  exposure, 
source    of    infection,    woman's    name    and    address    where 

69 


possible,  and  whether  the  use  of  liquor  entered  into  the 
matter  in  any  way.  It  proved  a  decided  help  to  both  the 
military  and  local  authorities  as  well  as  to  the  Committee. 

Alter  these  steps  had  been  taken,  the  next  was  to  locate 
the  contaminating  woman  who  had  caused  the  mischief, 
and  see  what  could  be  done  to  remove  her  to  some  place 
where  she  might  receive  treatment.  This  had  to  be 
brought  about  entirely  by  moral  suasion,  as  there  was 
no  law  to  warrant  an  arrest  in  such  cases.  It  was  soon 
found,  however,  that  the  women,  mostly  young  girls,  were 
generally  amenable  to  reason,  and  perfectly  willing  to  sub- 
mit to  medical  treatment.  The  Committee  had  many  cases 
of  this  character,  where  the  woman  was  induced  to  take  the 
prescribed  treatment  and  to  that  end  visit  a  doctor  every 
week.  In  the  very  few  instances  where  she  failed  so  to  do 
the  Committee  was  advised  of  the  fact  by  the  physician  in 
attendance,  and  she  was  immediately  sought  for. 

The  first  duty  of  the  Committee,  and  the  real  purpose  of 
its  formation,  was  held  to  be  the  prevention  of  crime.  Pun- 
ishment was  only  an  incident  thereto.  In  order  to  sys- 
tematically police  the  district,  special  and  constant  atten- 
tion was  necessary  in  the  vicinity  of  the  railroad  stations, 
together  with  a  patrol  of  the  squares  and  other  places  of 
gathering;  in  short,  a  maximum  effort  was  expended  in 
establishing  methods  which  made  plain  to  undesirables  that 
their  presence  in  the  locality  of  a  camp  would  not  be  toler- 
ated. The  hotels,  also,  within  a  large  radius,  were  regu- 
larly visited,  and  the  guest  records  inspected  to  ascertain 
whether  or  no  people  not  married  had  registered  as  man  and 
wife.  By  this  means  many  couples,  soldiers  wTith  women, 
were  arrested  at  the  various  hotels,  and  from  thence  taken 
to  court  and  tried,  a  large  number  of  the  women  being 
sent  away  and  their  companions  summoned  before  military 
tribunals. 

At  the  time  the  76th  Division  was  awaiting  orders  to 
move,  relatives  and  friends  of  the  soldiers  crowded  to  the 
camp  to  bid  them  good-by.     Hotels  were  taxed  to   their 

70 


capacity,  and  accommodations  for  transients  became  a 
serious  problem.  Landlords  reaped  an  enormous  harvest, 
and,  as  the  demand  for  rooms  increased,  they  raised  their 
prices  in  some  instances  to  four  times  the  normal  figure. 
This  made  it  more  difficult  to  control  the  situation  in  and 
about  Ayer,  and  the  outlook  became  for  a  while  very  seri- 
ous. August  and  September  brought  a  still  further  increase 
of  camp  visitors,  thereby  necessitating  additional  men  on 
the  Committee's  force.  Moreover,  the  authorities  in  neigh- 
boring districts,  began  to  apply  to  the  Committee  for  help 
in  enforcing  the  law  in  their  respective  localities.  It  there- 
fore became  more  than  ever  necessary  to  institute  prosecu- 
tions that  order  might  be  preserved,  and  in  no  instance  did 
the  lawbreaker  escape  punishment  when  brought  before  the 
courts. 

Train  inspection  was  another  arduous  and  exacting  func- 
tion of  the  Committee,  but  resulted  in  the  apprehension  of 
many  undesirable  men  and  women  in  addition  to  runaway 
boys  and  girls.  In  cases  affecting  these  last,  the  parents 
were  in  every  instance  notified  and  the  children  returned  to 
their  homes,  in  some  instances  hundreds  of  miles  distant. 

In  November,  1917,  a  stereomotorgraph  machine  was 
purchased  for  use  at  Camp  Devens,  which  the  Commit- 
tee loaned  from  time  to  time  to  the  different  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
huts.  A  lecturer  in  charge  explained  and  supplemented 
the  pictures,  which  illustrated  more  particularly  the  evils 
resulting  from  drink  and  immoral  women.  Officials,  both 
military  and  civilian,  constantly  witnessed  these  exhibitions 
and  were  invariably  enthusiastic  in  their  praise. 

Because  of  reports  of  women  soliciting  on  the  streets  in 
cities  near  to  military  posts,  investigations  were  made  to 
learn  the  true  status  of  affairs.  By  this  means  strong  co- 
operating evidence  was  secured.  The  attention  of  the  local 
authorities  was  then  called  to  the  existing  conditions  and 
remedial  measures  proposed  to  suppress  the  nuisance,  all  of 
which  were  carried  out  very  successfully. 

Motion-picture  performances  within  easy  access  to   the 

71 


camp  were  censored,  and  a  thorough  inspection  made  of 
amusement  parks.  It  sometimes  became  necessary  to  en- 
tirely suppress  certain  of  these  shows  and  theatrical  per- 
formances. 

Appreciation  of  the  fact  that  the  spread  of  venereal 
disease  was  not  only  impairing  the  efficiency  of  the  soldier 
but  was  of  real  assistance  to  the  enemy  made  the  men  in  the 
service  of  the  Committee  very  vigilant.  Nor  was  the  hab- 
itat of  the  women  involved  in  any  wise  confined  to  Massa- 
chusetts, New  England  or  the  East.  Women  from  twenty- 
six  States  of  the  Union,  and  from  almost  every  Province  of 
Canada,  were  included  in  the  list  of  the  many  unfortunate 
ones  who  flocked  to  the  camp  zone  and  were  investigated 
by  the  agents.  Each  case  was  carefully  examined,  and  the 
various  reasons  noted  that  the  offender  offered  in  excuse. 
The  predominating  influences  which  led  to  the  fall  of  these 
women  were  found  to  be  either  lack  of  education,  poor 
home  surroundings,  the  lure  of  the  uniform,  the  effects  of 
divorce,  or  a  combination  of  one  or  more  of  these  causes. 
None  of  the  women  dealt  with  proved  to  be  feeble-minded; 
two  stated  that  they  were  victims  of  white  slavers,  though 
investigation  showed  their  claim  to  be  groundless.  Many 
hundreds  of  cases  were  investigated  and  the  delinquents 
cared  for  without  any  publicity  being  given. 

Innumerable  illustrations  of  specific  cases,  many  of  them 
inexplicable,  repulsive  and  often  heartrending,  might  be 
given  were  it  considered  advisable  to  do  so.  Although,  as 
a  general  rule,  the  women  investigated  comprehended 
every  grade,  they  belonged  mostly  to  an  amateur  or  clan- 
destine rather  than  to  a  professional  class  of  prostitutes, 
and  on  that  account  were  the  more  difficult  to  apprehend 
or  deal  with.  Most  of  them  were  mere  girls;  some  under 
fifteen  years  of  age,  many  of  them  under  twenty,  and  few 
reaching  thirty.  '  Camp  Devens  suffered  a  temporary  visita- 
tion of  moral  obliquity  similar  in  character  to  what  has 
always  been  noticeable  in  periods  of  continued  public  ex- 
citement, and  especially  in  time  of  war. 

72 


A  large  percentage  of  the  women  arrested  were  sent  to 
Sherborn  Prison;  others  were  given  from  three  to  six 
months  in  the  county  jail.  Still  others,  when  proved  to  be 
infected  with  venereal  disease,  were  ordered  to  some  insti- 
tution for  a  fixed  period  of  time,  or  until  they  were  cured. 
Many  cases  were  disposed  of  without  prosecution,  some  of 
the  younger  girls  being  sent  to  the  House  of  the  Good 
Shepherd,  an  institution  always  willing  to  take  charge  of 
wayward  girls.  Some  were  returned  to  their  parents,  and 
others  ordered  out  of  town  and  told  that  if  they  returned 
they  would  be  arrested  and  put  away.  An  army  officer  of 
high  rank,  who  had  officially  inspected  all  the  major  canton- 
ments in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  after  a  thorough 
observation  of  the  conditions  surrounding  Camp  Devens, 
stated  that  it  was  positively  the  cleanest  camp  on  the 
continent. 

The  experience  of  all  nations,  at  all  times,  has  proved 
that  venereal  disease  inevitably  follows  in  the  wake  of  im- 
morality, and  that  drink  is  more  often  than  not  the  initial 
cause  of  both.  The  Committee's  squad  of  officers,  co- 
operating with  the  provost  guard,  State  Police,  Federal 
authorities,  mayors  and  selectmen  of  cities  and  towns,  and 
sub-committees  on  Public  Safety  in  localities  surrounding 
Camp  Devens,  did  yeoman  service  in  suppressing  the  sale 
of  liquor  to  soldiers. 

On  January  31,  1918,  the  Committee  began  a  vigorous 
campaign  in  Ayer  against  issuing  licenses,  and  a  letter  was 
written  to  the  pastors  of  all  the  churches  asking  them  to 
read  the  same  from  their  pulpits.  In  this  letter  it  was 
pointed  out  how  a  successful  termination  of  the  war  was 
vastly  important  to  every  American  citizen;  that  there  was 
no  man  or  woman  in  the  United  States  —  whether  father, 
mother,  brother,  sister,  wife  or  sweetheart  — -  who  was  not 
vitally  interested  in  the  well-being  of  the  young  American 
then  training  at  Camp  Devens;  and  that  it  was  unthink- 
able for  any  citizen  to  carelessly  allow  temptation  to  be 
strewn  in  their  paths.     It  was  explained  how  Camp  Devens 

73 


had  the  distinction  of  being  the  cleanest  cantonment,  mor- 
ally, in  the  country,  and  that  it  behooved  every  patriotic 
citizen  to  see  to  it  that  the  observance  of  law  and  order 
was  strictly  maintained  there  at  its  present  high  standard; 
also  that  assistance  be  given  to  the  police  in  the  prevention 
of  those  evils  which  invariably  gather  about  concentration 
and  mobilization  camps  when  liquor  is  sold  in  the  vicinity. 

It  was  further  pointed  out  that  seldom  did  an  environ- 
ment have  so  serious  a  responsibility  put  upon  its  shoulders, 
and  that  it  was  a  matter  most  vitally  related  to  military 
efficiency,  and  ultimately  to  the  cause  of  Democracy,  to 
have  all  communities  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  canton- 
ment made  safe  for  the  soldier. 

It  was  also  shown  how,  in  Europe,  the  authorities  had 
delayed  so  long  before  making  any  real  attempt  to  solve 
this  problem  in  its  relation  to  their  soldiers  that  by  the  end 
of  the  first  year  and  a  half  of  the  war  they  found  the  strength 
and  efficiency  of  their  armies  undermined  and  in  danger  of 
wasting  away  as  a  result  of  intemperance  and  its  inevitable 
drift  to  social  evil.  The  result  was  that  Aver  went  no 
license,  as  did  also  Pepperell,  which  previously  had  issued 
licenses  to  sell  liquor,  and  where  a  similar  campaign  had 
been  started  by  the  Committee. 

In  October,  1917,  prompted  by  reports  continually  com- 
ing in  that  soldiers  returning  to  camp  were  under  the  influ- 
ence of  liquor  purchased  by  them  in  Lowell,  the  Committee 
visited  that  city  for  the  first  time,  and  after  investigation 
called  the  attention  of  its  police  to  certain  men  who  were 
engaged  in  the  business  of  either  directly  or  indirectly  pro- 
curing liquor  for  soldiers.  Three  of  these  men  were  ar- 
rested and  turned  over  to  the  city  police.  A  few  days 
later  Mayor  O'Donnell  appointed  the  Committee's  agents 
as  special  police  officers  in  Lowell,  who  visited  the  city 
regularly  every  week  thereafter  and  secured  the  arrest  and 
conviction  of  a  large  number  of  men  engaged  in  the  illegal 
sale  of  liquor.  They  also  unearthed  a  certain  pernicious 
resort  where  drugged  liquor  was  sold  to  soldiers,  who  when 

74 


under  its  influence  were  robbed  of  their  possessions.     The 
proprietor  was  tried,  found  guilty  and  sentenced. 

The  Lowell  police  were  also  given  the  names  of  a  large 
number  of  women  who  were  in  the  habit  of  frequenting 
Camp  Devens.  Some  of  these  were  arrested  and  con- 
victed; some  were  driven  out  of  town;  others  were  warned 
to  keep  off  the  streets. 

All  offenders  arrested  for  aiding  and  abetting  the  sale  of 
liquor  to  soldiers  were  brought  to  trial  before  the  Federal 
court,  Boston,  where  most  of  them  were  convicted  and  sen- 
1  tericed  to  six  months'  hard  labor;    others  were  given  sus- 
pended sentences. 

Inasmuch  as  the  Committee  had  no  official  status  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  cantonment,  the  attention  of  the 
military  authorities  was  directed  to  places  where  the  camp 
was  left  unguarded,  and  where  it  was  possible  for  unscru- 
pulous men  and  women  to  enter  and  ply  their  respective 
trades.  All  such  suggestions  were  courteously  received  and 
almost  invariably  acted  upon  by  the  provost  guard,  who 
materially  assisted  in  taking  liquor  away  from  the  soldiers. 
For  example,  one  Saturday  night  over  forty  pints  were 
confiscated  at  the  camp  gate.  Pint  flasks  were  frequently 
found  slipped  down  the  back  of  a  man's  neck  hung  by  a 
cord,  and  all  manner  of  ingenious  devices  were  employed 
to  conceal  the  liquor  and  smuggle  it  into  camp.  Again,  a 
portion  of  the  cantonment  not  far  from  Shirley  was  left 
unprotected,  where  soldiers  under  the  influence  of  drink 
were  in  the  habit  of  getting  back  to  camp.  It  was  found 
that  they  procured  liquor  in  Clinton.  Accompanied  by 
four  men  of  the  provost  guard,  the  Committee's  agents 
went  to  Clinton  and  arrested  seven  soldiers  and  three 
civilians.  The  latter  were  each  of  them  fined.  The  soldiers 
were  brought  back  to  camp,  and  there  tried  by  court  mar- 
tial. A  large  quantity  of  liquor  secured  in  this  town  was 
turned  over  to  the  Ordnance  Department.  The  chief  of 
police  and  the  citizens  of  Clinton  showed  a  deep  apprecia- 
tion for  this  and  other  assistance  given  them  in  cleaning 


to 


up  the  town.  They  even  went  so  far  as  to  arrange  quarters 
in  the  armory,  in  order  that  the  Committee's  agents  might 
have  an  assured  place  where  they  could  remain  over  night 
if  they  so  desired. 

In  the  zone  surrounding  Camp  Devens  the  use  of  alcohol 
was  by  itself,  and  independent  of  the  social  question,  a 
most  dangerous  evil.  The  Committee,  however,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  provost  guard,  maintained  such  an  effective 
watch  for  signs  of  illegal  liquor  traffic  that  "boot-leggers" 
and  "pocket  peddlers"  were  unable  to  ply  even  their  nor- 
mal trade  in  the  vicinity. 

On  November  11  the  notorious  Parmenter  resort,  at 
Lunenberg,  was  raided.  Here  the  proprietor  had  been  ille- 
gally selling  liquor  for  over  sixteen  years,  and  during  all 
that  time  had  been  arrested  and  fined  but  once.  He  carried 
on  an  extensive  trade,  selling  intoxicants  to  both  soldiers 
and  civilians.  The  agents  raided  his  place,  arrested  him, 
and  brought  him  into  the  Fitchburg  court,  where  he  was 
sentenced  to  the  house  of  correction  and  fined  $100.  The 
Committee  had  his  wife  and  three  children  also  brought 
into  Court  and  placed  under  the  care  of  the  State  Board  of 
Charity.  Complaints  covering  Townsend,  Shirley,  Leomin- 
ster, Fitchburg,  Harvard,  Littleton  and  Westborough  were 
likewise  investigated  by  the  Committee. 

To  give  one  instance  of  the  variety  of  functions  the  Com- 
mittee was  called  upon  to  perform,  the  military  authorities 
at  Camp  Devens  asked  an  investigation  to  be  made  regard- 
ing the  loss  of  thirteen  hundred  pounds  of  sugar  and  five 
tubs  of  butter  which  had  mysteriously  disappeared  from  the 
quartermaster's  stores.  The  butter  and  sugar  were  traced 
to  a  baker  in  Ayer,  to  whom  they  had  been  sold.  After 
working  on  the  case  for  more  than  a  week,  the  agents  dis- 
covered that  the  thief  was  connected  with  the  Quarter- 
master's Department,  and  was  identified  by  the  purchaser 
of  the  goods  as  the  man  who  sold  them.  On  the  evidence 
obtained  the  military  authorities  placed  him  under  arrest. 

One  of  the  more  difficult  problems  to  contend  against  was 

76 


the  sale  of  drugs  to  the  soldiers.  The  use  of  drugs  was  not 
only  in  itself  detrimental  to  safety  and  efficiency,  but  was 
often  the  forerunner  and  inciting  cause  of  immorality.  In- 
formation came  that  some  of  the  soldiers  at  Camp  Devens 
were  addicted  to  this  habit,  and  it  was  found  that  much  of 
the  dope  was  being  sent  from  Maine,  New  Hampshire  and 
Vermont.  An  investigation  disclosed  that  a  Maine  doctor 
was  selling  such  drugs  in  very  large  quantities,  and  after 
careful  investigation  evidence  positively  incriminating  was 
found  against  him.  This  doctor  had  sold,  in  Haverhill,  to 
1  one  man  alone,  3,390  grains  of  morphine.  His  case,  how- 
ever, comprehended  so  many  ramifications  beyond  the 
scope  of  the  Committee's  powers,  extending  even  to  China 
and  India,  that  the  whole  subject  was  finally  submitted  to 
the  Federal  authorities.  Others  plying  a  dope  trade  at 
Devens  were  arrested,  convicted  and  sentenced.  A  drug 
addict  from  Camp  Devens  told  the  agents  that  his  mother 
kept  a  house  of  prostitution,  giving  them  the  street  and 
number  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  she  also  sold  and  adminis- 
tered dope  to  men  and  women.  This  case  was  also  turned 
over  to  the  Federal  authorities,  who  eventually  had  the 
house  closed  up. 

One  of  the  dope  addicts  conferred  with  at  Camp  Devens, 
who  admitted  having  used  drugs  for  about  four  years, 
stated  that  after  the  Harrison  law  went  into  effect  he  and  a 
number  of  his  friends  went  to  the  State  hospital  for  treat- 
ment, but  after  staying  there  some  time  left  the  institution 
without  being  cured.  They  were  then  informed  that  a  cer- 
tain physician  in  New  Haven  was  authorized  as  a  Federal 
official  to  give  prescriptions  for  a  certain  amount  of  dope, 
and  that  the  patient  by  using  thereafter  a  regularly  dimin- 
ishing quantity  would  eventually  be  cured  of  the  habit. 
Accordingly,  they  put  themselves  under  his  care,  receiving 
at  first  8  to  10  grains  a  day.  This  was  gradually  dimin- 
ished until  the  dose  was  supposed  to  be  reduced  to  about  2 
grains.  When  this  point  was  reached  the  amount  was  gen- 
erally increased  up  to  10  grains.     By  this  method  the  doctor 


slyly  cultivated  the  appetites  of  nearly  a  hundred  men  and 
from  thirty  to  forty  girls, — a  vicious,  if  unfortunate,  gang, 
who  were  known  to  their  neighborhood  as  the  "coke  fiends." 
This  fakir  was  supposed  to  have  had  at  one  time  fifty  such 
patients  under  his  charge.  The  disposal  of  his  case  was 
also  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Federal  authorities. 

In  the  early  stages  of  the  Committee's  activities  at  Aver 
a  great  deal  of  anxiety  arose  when  it  was  discovered  that 
rural  perverts  were  having  access  to  the  camp.  These  were 
tracked,  ordered  out  of  town,  and  told  they  would  be  ar- 
rested if  they  ever  put  in  an  appearance  again.  That  was 
the  last  heard  of  them. 

Keepers  of  lodging  houses  in  Aver  were  notified  regarding 
the  character  of  some  of  their  lodgers,  and  the  street  cars 
and  all  jitneys  were  carefully  watched  to  see  if  any  un- 
desirables were  coming  into  town  by  these  methods  of  con- 
veyance. 

The  Anderson  Show  Company  came  to  Ayer  with  its 
outfit.  In  the  opinion  of  the  Committee  the  performance 
given  was  very  undesirable,  and  constituted  a  menace  to 
the  morals  not  only  of  the  soldiers  but  of  the  community. 
Two  of  the  young  women  who  were  connected  with  the 
concern  were  arrested  and  brought  to  the  detention  room. 
One  of  them  was  a  girl  sixteen  years  of  age,  a  runaway 
from  her  home  in  Lowell.  The  Lowell  police  were  tele- 
phoned to,  who  found  there  was  no  court  record  against 
her,  and  the  next  day  she  was  returned  to  her  parents.  The 
other  woman  was  married,  was  from  New  York,  and  had 
two  children.  She  was  given  permission  to  return  to  her 
home,  which  she  did. 

AVhen  the  proprietor  of  the  show  company  was  informed 
that  such  a  performance  as  he  offered  would  not  be  tolerated 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  camp,  he  packed  up  and  quietly 
stole  away,  although  given  permission  by  the  board  of 
selectmen  to  remain  for  a  period  of  two  weeks. 

During  the  Committee's  activities  it  felt  itself  especially 
indebted    to    the    clergymen    of    every    denomination    with 

78 


whom  its  agents  came  in  contact  and  to  whom  they  ap- 
pealed, whether  civic  or  military;  to  the  commanding 
officers  of  divisions  and  regiments;  and  to  the  United 
States  and  Massachusetts  health  authorities.  One  and  all 
proved  their  interest  by  a  ready  and  hearty  co-operation  in 
the  work. 

Between  June  8  and  October  25,  1918,  the  Committee 
brought  a  total  of  fifty  cases  before  the  courts,  including 
the  following  charges:  neglect  of  children,  drunkenness, 
adultery,  idle  and  disorderly,  fornication,  lewdness,  furnish- 
ing liquor  to  soldiers,  and  polygamy.  In  addition,  a  total 
of  seventy-five  cases  against  delinquent  women  were  dis- 
posed of,  without  prosecution,  covering  similar  charges  to 
the  above,  and  others  relating  to  lost  persons,  runaways, 
wanderers,  destitutes  and  illegitimate  children. 


79 


CHAPTER  VII 

INTELLIGENCE  WORK  AND  GERMAN  PROPAGANDA 
IN   RELIGIOUS   ORGANIZATIONS 

In  March,  1917,  Mr.  Storrow  appointed  Mr.  Lyman,  of  the 
Executive  Committee,  to  act  as  its  representative  in  dealing 
with  all  communications  coming  within  the  general  scope 
of  secret  service  work.  Some  eighty  odd  cases  were  looked 
into,  investigations  being  in  the  main  conducted  through 
officers  of  the  Federal  and  civil  government  legally  ap- 
pointed for  such  purposes,  the  Committee's  representative 
acting  chiefly  as  a  medium  through  which  complaints  were 
transferred  to  the  proper  authorities.  The  inadvisability  of 
relieving  the  monotony  of  this  chronicle,  despite  the  tempta- 
tion to  do  so,  by  relating  the  outcome  of  these  investigations 
and  the  many  adventurous  details  connected  therewith,  how- 
ever regrettable,  will  be  readily  appreciated.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  many  of  the  cases  which  were  taken  up 
may  not  be  closed  for  a  long  time  to  come;  that  most  of 
them  dealt  with  treacherous  doings  subversive  to  the  public 
weal;  that  practically  all  of  them  were  traceable  directly 
or  indirectlv  to  German  sources;  and  that  the  threads  of 
one  case  were  often  closelv  interwoven  with  those  of  another. 
To  publish  the  details  of  an  investigation  already  completed 
might  be  distinctly  undesirable,  as  well  likely  to  imperil  the 
secrecy  necessary  to  be  observed  in  cases  as  yet  unfinished. 

The  inquiries  made  were  supported  by  special  appropria- 
tions to  different  organizations,  and,  in  part,  also  by  private 
subscription.  In  this  connection  it  might  be  stated  that 
the  general  term  "secret  service,"  in  its  relation  to  investi- 
gations of  espionage,  treason,  slackers,  bombers,  etc.,  was 
not  a  single  organization  under  one  controlling  influence, 
nor  was  it  confined  to  any  State,  city  or  other  given  lo- 
cality.    It  comprehended  army,  navy,  United  States  Treas- 

80 


nry,  Department  of  Justice,  and  other  Federal  as  well  as 
various  State  bureaus.  In  fact,  there  were  said  to  be  nine 
national  besides  innumerable  city  and  town  organizations, 
without  including  volunteers  and  self-appointed  sleuths  act- 
ing independently,  —  each  agency  more  mysterious  than  the 
other,  and  all  engaged  in  a  field  of  work  where  distrust  was 
necessary  to  competence,  and  rivalry  a  prevailing  stimu- 
lant. 

In  the  spring  of  1918  the  Treasury  Department  at  Wash- 
ington urged  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  to  organize 
a  special  branch  of  the  American  Protective  League  in 
Massachusetts.  This  the  Executive  Committee,  on  motion 
of  Mr.  Endicott,  authorized  under  the  title  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Auxiliary  of  the  Department  of  Justice,  and  the 
following  Committee  was  appointed,  with  power  to  add 
additional  names :  — 


C.  F.  Choate,  Jr. 
S.  H.  Wolcott. 
W.  R.  Peabody. 
Hugh  Bancroft. 


George  H.  Lyman. 
C.  G.  Bancroft. 
John  F.  Perkins. 
J.  H.  Beal,  Jr. 


This  organization,  extending  throughout  the  whole  State 
and  with  an  enrollment  of  nearly  six  hundred  members, 
commenced  its  work  about  May  1,  1918,  closing  February 
1,  1919.  In  the  neighborhood  of  5,000  cases  were  investi- 
gated, besides  4,000  relating  especially  to  slackers,  —  a 
total  of  9,000.  In  addition,  600  draft  evaders  were  in- 
ducted into  the  army  between  July  1,  1918,  and  the  signing 
of  the  armistice.  There  were  also  twenty-five  convictions 
obtained  for  filing  false  answers  to  questionnaires,  and 
seventv-five  under  the  Webb-Kenvon  Act. 

The  activities  of  the  Committee  involved  an  expenditure 
of  $11,000.  Of  this  amount  $10,000  was  appropriated  by 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  and  the  balance  raised  by 
private  subscription. 

In  the  summer  of  1918  it  became  evident  that  German 
propaganda  was  moving  in  a  new  direction.    The  end  of  the 

81 


war  was  nearer  than  any  one  anticipated.  It  was  apparent 
that  Germany  could  not  possibly  win,  and  that  she  was 
beginning  to  make  approaches  for  a  negotiated  peace. 
Word  was  received  from  secret  service  sources  that  German 
money  was  being  used  determinedly  among  religious  organ- 
izations and  women's  clubs.  The  object  in  view  was  very 
evident;  it  was  to  work  on  people's  sentiment,  and  to 
suggest  the  uselessness  of  continued  righting.  The  sym- 
pathies were  appealed  to,  and  the  whole  effort  appeared  to 
be  gathering  considerable  headway. 

To  offset  this  pernicious  propaganda  the  Rev.  Paul 
Revere  Frothingham  was  requested  by  Mr.  Endicott  to  get 
in  touch,  so  far  as  possible,  with  various  organizations 
throughout  the  State  and  warn  them  of  what  was  going  on; 
to  put  them  in  possession  of  the  facts,  and  to  urge  them  to 
secure  speakers  who  would  take  the  opposite  point  of  view. 
This  was  done  with  marked  success.  Mr.  Frothingham 
wrote  to  hundreds  of  organizations  which  were  accustomed 
to  hold  regular  meetings  in  the  course  of  their  season's 
work,  and  also  to  the  secretaries  of  lodges  and  fraternal 
organizations.  The  forums  in  various  centers  were  also 
approached,  and  the  promise  given  of  cordial  co-operation. 
A  great  meeting  was  organized  on  Boston  Common,  where 
Ex-President  Taft  spoke  most  forcibly  to  about  10,000 
people  on  the  need  of  "fighting  to  a  finish."  This  work 
covered  a  great  deal  of  ground  and  was  carried  through 
successfully  by  Mr.  Frothingham  alone. 


82 


CHAPTER  VIII 
SPECIAL   COMMITTEE  WORK 

Military  Organization  Schools 

The  Committee  also  materially  assisted  in  organizing  a 
school  for  trench  warfare  at  Framingham.  This  was  the 
first  institution  of  its  kind  installed  in  the  United  States, 
and!  was  conducted  by  specially  selected  officers  who  had 
seen  service  in  the  British  Army.  The  course  of  instruction 
included  lessons  in  trench  warfare,  real  trenches  being  dug 
and  genuine  hand  grenades  used.  Courses  also  were  given 
in  the  theory  and  practice  of  gas,  attacking  defense,  the 
use  of  the  machine  gun,  bayonet  attack  and  the  defense  of 
trench,  and  every  officer  was  ordered  to  report  at  the  school 
for  one  week's  continuous  service  night  and  day.  When 
our  government  refused  to  ask  the  Canadian  authorities  to 
furnish  instruction  for  our  training  camps,  Adjutant-General 
Sweetser  went  to  Canada  and  secured  the  services  of  several 
experienced  teachers,  who  later,  the  Canadian  government 
following  our  example,  were  summoned  back  to  conduct 
similar  schools  at  home.  Again,  another  school  was  estab- 
lished at  the  Wakefield  Rifle  Range,  to  give  to  departmental, 
infantry,  cavalry  and  staff  corps  officers  instruction  in  tar- 
get practice. 

Liberty  Bonds 

In  the  first  Liberty  Loan  Campaign  Adjutant-General 
Sweetser,  at  the  instigation  of  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety,  organized  a  drive  among  the  Massachusetts  National 
Guard  for  subscriptions,  with  the  slogan,  "A  gun  and  a 
bond."  On  June  11  circulars  were  sent  to  all  Massachu- 
setts National  Guard  organizations,  and  posters  were 
adopted  and  distributed  to  every  company  armory.  The 
response  to  this  appeal  was  prompt  and  most  encouraging. 
On  July  3  the  report  rendered  by  the  Old  Colony  Trust 

83 


Company  -  -  who  immediately  on  request  had  undertaken 
to  underwrite  all  subscriptions  made  to  the  loan  by  the 
National  Guard  —  gave  the  total  number  of  bonds  sub- 
scribed for  as  8,779,  their  face  value  amounting  to  $438,950. 
This  sum  was  accredited  to  the  different  Massachusetts 
National  Guard  organizations,  as  follows:  — 


Bonds 

Amount 

Massachusetts  Coast  Artillery 

1,100 

$55,000 

2d  Regiment  Infantry, 

347 

17,350 

5th  Regiment  Infantry, 

999 

49,950 

6th  Regiment  Infantry, 

1,297 

64,850 

8th  Regiment  Infantry, 

1,232 

61,600 

9th  Regiment  Infantry, 

710 

35,500 

1st  Corps  Cadets, 

834 

41,700 

1st  Regiment  Field  Artillery, 

867 

43,350 

2d  Regiment  Field  Artillery, 

591 

29,550 

1st  Separate  Squadron  Cavalry, 

163 

8,150 

1st  Battalion  Signal  Troops, 

251 

12,550 

1st  Field  Hospital  Company, 

116 

5,800 

2d  Field  Hospital  Company, 

74 

3,700 

1st  Ambulance  Company,  . 

93 

4,650 

2d  Ambulance  Company,  . 

105 

5,250 

8,779 

§438,950 

It  would  seem  very  significant  that  on  the  second  issue 
of  Liberty  Bonds  the  United  States  government,  following 
closely  the  lead  of  Massachusetts,  sought  to  interest  the 
soldier  here  and  abroad  in  their  purchase. 

Volunteer  Dental  Committee 

The  Committee  on  Public  Safety  was  in  receipt  of  data 
from  England,  showing  that  dental  troubles  were  the  fore- 
runners of  a  great  deal  of  sickness  among  the  Allied  troops, 
and  that  much  time  was  lost  to  the  service  through  illness 
directly  traceable  to  impaired  teeth.  A  dental  examina- 
tion  made    at    Framingham,    prior    to    the    Massachusetts 


84 


troops  being  sent  to  the  Mexican  Border,  established  the 
fact  that,  collectively,  the  soldiers'  teeth  were  in  poor  shape. 
It  was  apparent,  therefore,  that  if  a  like  condition  still  pre- 
vailed and  was  not  attended  to,  the  general  health  of  the 
men,  and  in  consequence  their  military  efficiency,  would  be 
seriously  affected.  Therefore  the  Executive  Committee 
promptly  organized  a  volunteer  Dental  Committee,  headed 
by  Dr.  George  H.  Payne,  secretary  of  the  State  Board  of 
Dental  Examiners,  which  eventually  mobilized  a  force  of 
volunteer  dentists  throughout  the  State. 

Pn  the  meantime,  April  1,  1917,  the  Governor  and  Coun- 
cil authorized  the  purchase  of  $9,000  worth  of  dental  ap- 
paratus. By  this  means  a  dental  chair,  instruments  and 
medicines  were  supplied  to  every  armory  in  the  Common- 
wealth, the  end  sought  being  to  put  the  teeth  of  all  Massa- 
chusetts National  Guardsmen  in  such  good  repair  that  none 
of  them  would  require  further  dentistry  for  a  period  of  two 
years. 

How  wide  was  the  scope  of  this  plan  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  in  Boston  alone  —  where  the  work  was  done  at 
the  Harvard  and  Tufts  Dental  schools,  the  Forsyth  Dental 
Infirmary,  and  a  number  of  private  offices  —  a  total  of 
3,000  operations  were  performed  on  the  teeth  of  members 
of  the  Massachusetts  National  Guard.  It  was  estimated 
that  the  cost  of  these  services,  if  paid  for  by  the  soldiers 
themselves,  would  have  reached  approximately  $100,000, 
and  yet  the  Committee  calculated  that  only  about  one- 
tenth  of  the  work  necessary  to  be  done  on  the  teeth  of  the 
Massachusetts  National  Guard  had  been  attended  to. 
Subsequently,  and  before  that  body  became  federalized, 
practically  60  per  cent  of  the  dentistry  required  was  ac- 
complished through  the  efforts  of  the  Committee. 

Chiropodist  Preparedness  Committee 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Chiropodist  Associa- 
tion held  February  13,  1917,  a  resolution  was  passed  offer- 
ing "the  services  of  its  members  for  the  gratuitous  treat- 

85 


ment  of  such  foot  troubles  as  come  within  the  scope  of 
chiropody"  to  the  National  Guard  of  Massachusetts  in  the 
event  of  its  mobilization.  Copies  of  this  resolution  were 
sent  to  the  Governor  and  to  the  Adjutant-General,  and 
upon  April  2,  1917,  the  organization  of  the  Chiropodist 
Preparedness  Committee  was  effected.  Within  a  few  days 
its  services  were  offered  to  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
and  accepted. 

Plans  already  formulated  were  promptly  carried  out,  and 
the  various  National  Guard  units  were  visited  by  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Committee.  The  feet  of  all  the  guards- 
men were  examined,  and  each  man  given  a  card  stating  the 
name  and  address  of  a  chiropodist  who  would  treat  the 
holder  upon  a  date  stated.  From  that  time  on  until  the 
end  of  the  war  all  enlisted  men  in  uniform  received  on  appli- 
cation free  treatment  at  the  offices  of  members  of  the  Com- 
mittee. Upon  completion  of  each  treatment  a  record  card 
was  filled  out  stating  diagnosis,  the  service  rendered,  etc., 
and  forwarded  to  the  secretary  of  the  Committee.  Of  these 
cards  1,468  were  returned  to  the  secretary,  and  at  least 
that  number  of  men  were  taken  care  of,  many  receiving 
several  treatments.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  some  chiropo- 
dists neglected  to  return  their  cards,  the  full  list  of  men 
treated  must  have  been  considerably  in  excess  of  the  above 
figures.  Moreover,  whenever  it  was  difficult  for  the  guards- 
men to  report  at  the  offices  of  the  chiropodists  the  latter 
visited  the  camps,  where  the  necessary  service  was  rendered 
and  no  record  kept. 

The  Middlesex  College  of  Chiropody  in  East  Cambridge 
co-operated  with  the  Committee  by  offering  its  staff  of 
clinicians  with  full  equipment  to  give  free  treatment,  espe- 
cially for  men  in  the  different  branches  of  the  navy.  A 
large  number  from  the  Naval  Radio  School  at  Harvard 
were  thus  taken  care  of. 

Members  of  the  Committee  visited  Camp  Devens  on 
several  occasions  immediately  following  the  arrival  of  the 
first   draftees,   and  treated  over   1,600  men.     This  service 

86 


was  discontinued  only  when  camp  routine  made  it  imprac- 
ticable to  arrange  for  the  work  at  mutually  convenient 
times. 

At  the  request  of  Brigadier-General  Dickson,  members  of 
the  Committee  visited  the  Watertown  Arsenal  four  separate 
times,  where  they  examined  the  feet  of  the  men  belonging 
to  the  Ordnance  Department  and  to  the  two  companies  of 
artillery  there  stationed  as  guards,  giving  their  services 
gratuitously  to  over  200  men. 

General  expenses  incident  to  the  organization  and  opera- 
tion  of  the  Committee  were  met  by  contributions  from  its 
members.  Expenses  of  the  actual  work,  including  material, 
traveling  charges,  etc.,  were  borne  in  every  case  by  the 
individual  chiropodist  performing  the  service. 

The  experience  of  the  Committee  emphasized  strongly 
the  absolute  need  of  a  chiropodist  in  all  military  organiza- 
tions, a  necessity  which  is  recognized  in  the  armies  of  other 
nations  and  provided  for,  but  which  has  yet  to  be  met  by 
the  United  States  authorities.  The  Marine  Corps,  how- 
ever, showed  its  foresightedness  in  providing  its  contingents 
with  chiropodists  having  the  highest  non-commissioned 
rating. 

The  work  of  this  Committee  was  of  very  great  importance, 
as  the  condition  of  the  soldiers'  feet  proved  a  vital  element 
in  their  efficiency  for  service. 

Peter  Bent  Brigham  Hospital  Unit 

Early  in  May  the  Peter  Bent  Brigham  Hospital,  having 
been  urged  to  send  a  hospital  unit  to  France,  asked  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety  for  its  assistance  in  getting  the 
unit  ready.  This  call  was  wholly  unexpected,  and  required 
the  most  prompt  action  in  order  to  assemble  the  men  and 
the  required  outfit  in  time.  By  vote  of  the  Committee 
$5,000  wras  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  unit,  to  be  expended 
on  its  equipment  and  to  meet  other  incidental  expenses 
connected  with  its  departure  from  Boston.  In  addition  to 
this  financial  help  the  Committee  furnished  motor  cars  to 

87 


assist  the  contingent  while  preparing  to  sail,  and  for  several 
days  fed  and  lodged  the  thirty-seven  men  forming  its  per- 
sonnel. This  made  it  possible  for  all  arrangements  to  be 
completed  within  a  week's  time,  and  in  consequence  the 
Peter  Bent  Brigham  Hospital  Unit  was  the  first  body  of 
medical  men  from  Massachusetts  to  go  overseas  after  our 
entrance  into  the  war. 

Radio  School 

When  the  United  States  became  a  combatant,  Mr. 
Arthur  Batch eller,  United  States  Radio  Inspector  in  charge 
of  the  New  England  District,  with  the  approval  of  the 
Secretary  of  Commerce,  undertook  the  instruction  of  a 
class  of  forty  men  —  the  full  capacity  of  his  quarters  at 
the  Boston  Custom  House  —  for  a  course  in  code  and 
theory  in  radio-telegraphy,  from  June  21  to  December  31, 
1917.  Early  in  1918  it  became  evident  that  thousands  of 
radio  operators  would  be  required  for  the  military  and  naval 
service,  and  schools  were  established  throughout  the  coun- 
try to  meet  the  urgent  demand  for  men  sufficiently  qualified 
in  radio  code  to  answer  the  immediate  purpose,  even  if 
they  lacked  full  technical  training.  It  was  therefore  sug- 
gested that  the  school  at  the  Custom  House  be  conducted 
elsewhere  and  on  a  larger  basis,  provided  suitable  quarters 
could  be  secured.  By  this  means  it  was  hoped  hundreds 
could  be  trained  at  one  time. 

There  being  no  appropriation  by  the  Department  of 
Commerce  for  the  purpose,  Hon.  Edmund  Billings,  col- 
lector of  the  port  of  Boston,  recommended  the  project  to 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety.  Through  the  co-opera- 
tion of  Mr.  Ratshesky  and  Mr.  Lyman,  a  self-constituted 
committee,  the  use  of  the  headquarters  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Naval  Militia  Armory,  in  the  Mechanics  Building,  96 
Huntington  Avenue,  Boston,  —  unoccupied  by  reason  of 
absence  of  members  in  service,  —  was  tendered  by  Adju- 
tant-General Stevens,  free  of  any  charge  for  rent  or  heating. 
These  quarters  accommodated  275  pupils,  and  were  ideal 

88 


o 
o 

o 

W 


(4 


for  the  purpose  sought.  Requisition  was  then  made  on 
the  Department  of  Commerce  for  the  apparatus  and  equip- 
ment necessary  for  instruction.  The  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  furnished  the  lumber  needed  for  tables  and  seats, 
and  guaranteed  the  payment  of  a  janitor's  services,  — as  well 
as  the  expense  of  lighting  for  a  period  of  six  months,  with 
the  understanding  that  these  allowances  be  renewed  at  the 
end  of  the  prescribed  time  should  a  state  of  war  and  the 
necessity  for  such  instruction  still  exist. 

^he  school  opened  on  January  21,  1918,  with  an  enroll- 
ment of  262  men.  Sessions  were  held  regularly  thereafter 
on  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Friday  of  each  week  until 
after  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  November  11,  1918.  The 
instruction  was  under  the  direct  supervision  of  Mr.  Batch- 
eller,  who  brought  to  his  assistance  other  qualified  code 
instructors.  The  entire  service  given  was  voluntary.  Pref- 
erence in  enrollment  was  extended  in  the  following  order :  — - 

1.  Men  subject  to  Selective  Service  Law,  Class  1A. 

2.  Men  enlisted  in  army  or  navy  awaiting  call  to  active  service. 

3.  Young  men  eighteen  years  or  over  desiring  to  make  advance  prepara- 

tion for  registration  or  voluntary  enlistment. 

The  results  of  the  work  may  roughly  be  summarized  as 
follows :  — 

Total  number  of  applications  filed  from  January  21  to  November 

25,  1918,  when  the  school  closed, 1,214 

Disqualified  by  lack  of  citizenship,  physical  or  educational 
requirements, 133 

Discontinued   for   irregular   attendance   or   voluntary   with- 
drawal,   297 

430 

Students  remaining  in  good  standing,  receiving  instruction  for 

varying  periods, 784 

Entered  military  and  naval  service  well  qualified,     .        .        .  530 
Sufficiently  equipped  for  practice  in  service,       ....  254 

784 


Total  unit  attendance  for  entire  period  of  school,     ....    12,985 
Hours  of  instruction  represented, 25,970 

89 


Cost  to  Department  of  Commerce  for  equipment  used,  re- 
turned and  still  serviceable, $000  00 

Cost  to  Committee  on  Public  Safety  for  expenses  of  mainte- 
nance,       1,041  31 


Total  cost  for  the  period  January  21  to  November  28, 

inclusive, $1,641  31 

The  radio  code  forms  one  of  the  most  vital  channels  of 
communication,  and  the  training  given  at  this  school  con- 
tributed to  the  safety  of  life  and  vessel  in  military  and  naval 
operations,  an  element  of  value  not  to  be  considered  com- 
mercially and  which  cannot  be  overestimated. 

The  Committee  on  Public  Safety  assisted  and  made 
possible  this  help  in  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  war, 
but  the  conception  and  its  accomplishment  must  be  cred- 
ited to  Mr.  Batcheller  and  his  associates. 

Speakers'  Bureau 

The  Speakers'  Bureau,  in  charge  of  Mr.  A.  A.  Kidder,  was 
one  of  the  first  departments  organized  by  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety.  During  April  and  May,  1917,  speakers 
were  supplied  for  meetings  all  over  the  State  at  the  rate 
of  eight  or  ten  a  day,  in  the  endeavor  to  acquaint  the 
people  with  the  aims  of  the  Committee  and  to  impress 
upon  them  the  urgency  demanded  by  the  situation.  Speak- 
ers were  furnished  for  nearly  1,000  meetings,  ranging  in 
attendance  from  25  to  5,000. 

When,  later,  the  Food  Administration  was  organized,  the 
Bureau  was  enlarged,  and  thereafter  the  chief  effort  of  the 
Committee  was  centered  in  stimulating  interest  in  food 
production  and  conservation. 

The  Bureau  also  was  at  all  times  in  close  co-operation  with 
the  managers  of  the  Liberty  Loan,  Red  Cross  and  other 
patriotic  drives,  and  at  the  time  of  the  first  Liberty  Loan 
devoted  its  entire  list  of  speakers  to  assist  in  that  cam- 
paign. To  this  end  speakers  were  placed  in  high  schools, 
at  Chambers  of  Commerce  and  many  other  organization 
meetings,  while  from  time  to  time  distinguished  French  and 

90 


English  officers,  as  well  as  American  soldiers  back  from  the 
front,  were  added  to  the  force. 

Another  important  branch  of  the  work  was  to  arrange  for 
and  conduct  meetings  at  various  munition  plants;  and  from 
reports  received  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  a  de- 
cided stimulus  was  thus  given  to  war  prod  net  ion. 

Unlike  many  speakers'  bureaus  throughout  the  country, 
the  Massachusetts  organization  was  made  up  entirely  of 
volunteers,  including  several  hundred  of  the  ablest  and  most 
popular  speakers  in  the  State,  men  and  women,  who  re- 
sponded to  the  Committee's  call  whenever  time  and  cir- 
cumstances permitted  them  to  do  so. 

Four-minute  Men 

Connected  with  the  Speakers'  Bureau  were  the  Four- 
minute  Men,  suggested  by  the  Council  of  National  Defense 
in  Washington.  In  June,  1918,  Mr.  Atherton  D.  Converse 
was  appointed  by  the  Executive  Committee  to  act  as  chair- 
man of  an  organization  to  conduct  four-minute  speeches 
throughout  the  State,  the  object  of  which  was  to  place 
quickly  before  the  people  authentic  facts  about  our  military 
and  financial  preparations  towards  carrying  on  the  war. 
This  organization,  as  later  perfected,  consisted  of  seventy- 
one  chairmen  and  four  hundred  and  fifty  speakers.  In 
addition,  one  hundred  and  fifty  theatres,  scattered  through 
every  section  of  the  Commonwealth,  agreed  to  allow  the 
use  of  their  platforms  for  just  four  minutes  at  a  time  in 
vaudeville  and  moving-picture  performances. 

Massachusetts  was  the  first  State  in  the  Union  to  inaugu- 
rate such  a  plan,  and  did  it  so  quickly  and  efficiently  that 
the  Washington  authorities  requested  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  to  assist  in  forming  similar  bodies  in  other 
New  England  States.  In  response  to  this  demand  the 
chairman  assisted  in  organizing  Maine,  New  Hampshire, 
Vermont  and  Rhode  Island. 

On  September  13,  1918,  other  duties  required  Mr.  Con- 
verse to  drop  the  work,  and  Mr.  Arthur  J.  Crockett  was 

appointed  in  his  place. 

91 


CHAPTER  IX 
ORGANIZATION   AND   EMPLOYEES 

A  very  interesting  and  instructive  phase  of  this  story 
should  be  the  hearty  and  never-failing  encouragement  given 
at  all  times  to  the  Executive  Committee  by  every  one 
connected  with  the  organization,  and  their  ever  ready  desire 
from  first  to  last  to  meet  its  needs. 

The  immediate  problem  confronting  the  Committee  in  the 
early  stages  of  its  existence  was  to  build  up  a  thoroughly 
efficient  working  organization;  and  later,  to  preserve,  as  well 
as  to  improve  upon,  the  standard  attained,  while  adapting 
it  to  the  widening  scope  of  the  Committee's  activities. 

No  stronger  evidence  could  be  offered  of  the  far-reaching 
extent  of  the  Committee's  activities,  multiplying  more  and 
more  as  the  work  progressed,  than  the  increasing  number 
of  listed  workers.  The  volunteer  personnel  included  two 
different  types:  the  first  embraced  many  who  had  been 
successful  in  business  affairs,  and  who,  from  long  habit, 
at  first  wanted  to  have  their  own  way  in  everything  and 
proposed  to  get  it;  the  second  was  made  up  of  those  who 
had  no  business  experience,  but  were  tempted  to  act  as  free 
lances,  endeavoring  to  follow  out  their  own  methods  and 
ideas.     Naturally  all  this  soon  happily  regulated  itself. 

Still  another  class  embraced  the  paid  working  force,  who 
entered  the  service  as  they  would  any  other  business  em- 
ployment. This  made  a  combination  of  personnel  requir- 
ing a  distinct  settling-down  process  before  it  could  develop 
into  a  smoothly  working  machine.  Yet,  impelled  by  the 
patriotic  impulses  of  the  hour,  it  was  remarkable  how 
quickly  such  a  result  was  accomplished.  It  is  also  a  note- 
worthy fact  to  how  great  an  extent  many  of  the  employees, 
to  whom  the  amount  of  salary  was  a  very  vital  matter, 
loyally  stayed  with  the  organization,  often  working  over- 

92 


time,  rather  than  reap  the  advantage  offered  by  the  con- 
tinually rising  wages  paid  by  the  Federal  government.  For 
the  first  six  weeks  the  pay  roll  at  headquarters  averaged  no 
more  than  $50  a  week.  But  after  April  6,  1917,  the  organ- 
ization being  well  established  and  on  definite  lines,  with  a 
foundation  that  assured  success,  and  with  the  United  Stales 
actually  at  war,  the  functions  of  the  Committee  became 
vastly  extended,  requiring  a  corresponding  increase  in  the 
force.  By  November,  1918,  the  Committee  employed  at 
the  State  House  alone  188  paid  and  55  volunteer  workers. 
These,  with  the  Executive  Committee,  the  Food  and  Fuel 
Administrations,  and  the  various  sub-committees  daily  in 
session,  totaled  a  present  working  force  of  about  300,  calling 
for  a  payroll  of  $4,722.58  a  week. 

Eventually  the  workers  for  all  activities  were  taken  solely 
on  the  basis  of  individual  qualification,  either  through  pre- 
vious training  and  experience,  or  from  special  adaptability 
to  the  particular  function  for  which  they  were  wanted,  due 
consideration  being  also  given  to  the  time  at  their  disposal, 
and  to  the  distance  from  residence  or  place  of  business  to 
the  State  House. 

One  thing  remains  an  undoubted  fact,  that  however  great 
the  merits  of  civil  service  under  peace  conditions,  its  regula- 
tions would  have  been  a  serious  encumbrance  in  such  an 
emergency  as  confronted  the  Committee;  and  it  was  truly 
fortunate  that  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  with  whom 
all  Committees  on  Public  Safety  were  suppositiously  more 
or  less  affiliated,  was  exempt  from  this  handicap. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Massachusetts  Commit- 
tee on  Public  Safety  was  an  emergency  organization  quickly 
gotten  together  for  an  immediate  and  extraordinary  pur- 
pose, where  time  was  an  element  of  vital  importance  and 
delay  fatal.  It  was  therefore  natural  that  the  Committee 
should  be  confronted  with  innumerable  obstacles  in  getting 
down  to  business;  but  its  work  proved  so  in  harmony  with 
the  spirit  of  the  time  that  it  was  not  long  before  a  plan  of 
organization  was  carried  through  and  the  work  in  full  opera- 
tion. 

93 


The  administration  of  the  business  end  of  the  Committee 
presented  an  exceedingly  exacting  and  difficult  job,  due 
principally  to  the  make-up  of  the  personnel  and  the  ever 
si  lifting  requirements.  But  all  this  was  ably  and  satisfac- 
torily handled  by  the  assistant  executive  managers:  Mr. 
Levi  H.  Greenwood,  February  16,  1917,  to  February  15, 
1918,  when  he  was  made  chief  of  the  Federal  Ordnance 
Office,  Boston  District;  Mr.  W.  A.  L.  Bazeley,  February  15, 
1918,  to  October  17,  1918,  at  which  date  he  entered  the 
army  as  an  officer  in  the  Sanitary  Corps;  Mr.  Arthur  A. 
Kidder,  October  17,  1918,  to  November  20,  1918,  when  the 
Committee  was  dissolved. 

The  stand  taken  by  Governor  McCall,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Coolidge  and  the  Council  in  always  unhesitat- 
ingly supporting  the  best  interests  of  the  Committee  was  a 
fine  example  of  the  general  spirit  of  determination  that 
everywhere  obtained.  Lieutenant-Governor  Coolidge  at  one 
time  remarked  that,  if  necessary,  he  would  give  up  his  private 
office  and  "sit  on  the  steps  of  the  State  House  rather  than 
see  the  Committee  want  for  necessary  room." 

The  same  backing  was  shown  by  State  officials  and  com- 
missions with  offices  at  the  State  House,  to  which  they  had 
a  legal  right,  unselfishly  submitting  to  much  discomfort  and 
annoyance  from  the  constant  shifting  of  their  well-ordered 
establishments  to  less  desirable  and  more  crowded  quarters, 
in  order  to  make  way  for  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

Yet  this  generous  regard  for  the  Committee  and  its  work, 
however  well  implanted,  would  never  have  materialized  as 
it  did  but  for  the  kindly  consideration  of  Sergeant-at-Arms 
Thomas  F.  Pedrick,  for  twenty-three  years  managing  cus- 
todian of  the  State  House  and  its  properties.  From  first  to 
last,  he  strove  to  comfortablv  house  the  Committee,  and  in 
many  other  ways  to  advance  its  interests  whenever  and 
wherever  such  voluntarv  service  did  not  conflict  with  his 
official  duties.  He  accepted  the  welfare  of  the  Committee 
as  in  all  respects  his  especial  charge,  and  so  interested  was 
he  in  the  success  of  this  grasping  encroachment  on  his  well- 

94 


ordered  domain  that  he  made  it  part  of  his  daily  routine  to 
visit  the  Committee  rooms,  dressed  as  usual  in  the  full 
regalia  of  his  office.  His  long  black  coat,  silk  cockade  hat 
and  genial  smile  will  always  remain  a  grateful  memory. 

Office  Rooms 

It  may  be  interesting  to  interpolate  here  a  word  in  regard 
to  the  office  organization  of  the  Committee,  as  it  developed. 
Co-extensive  with  the  rapid  and  unforeseen  expansion  of  its 
undertaking  came  an  increasing  demand  for  office  space. 
Fi'om  a  two-room  activity  early  in  March,  1917,  the  tax 
upon  the  Committee's  resources  as  soon  as  war  was 
declared  grew  to  such  proportions  that  by  April  practi- 
cally the  whole  first  floor  of  the  west  wing  of  the  State 
House,  comprising  twenty-five  rooms,  were  required  for  its 
use.  In  July,  owing  to  the  further  crowding  entailed  by 
the  food  and  coal  problems,  even  this  extra  space  proved 
totally  inadequate,  and  about  a  dozen  other  rooms  scat- 
tered through  the  building  were  made  available  for  com- 
mittee meetings  at  stated  times  of  the  day.  In  addition,  a 
number  of  outside  offices  were  rented  in  different  localities 
of  the  city.  Mrs.  Thayer  generously  gave,  rent  free,  the 
entire  building  at  20  Ashburton  Place,  to  be  used  by  the 
Women's  Conservation  Division  and  similar  functions  con- 
nected therewith.  The  floor  space  occupied  at  the  State 
House  measured  17,020  square  feet;  yet  during  the  greater 
part  of  each  day  the  Committee  was  severely  taxed  for  room, 
desks  being  crowded  together  with  only  narrow  passage- 
ways left  open  to  serve  the  constant  stream  of  people  com- 
ing and  going.  Some  reference  might  here  be  made  to  the 
private  office  of  the  executive  manager.  Mr.  Endicott, 
whose  leadership  carried  with  it  so  large  a  share  of  the 
burden  and  responsibilities  of  the  Committee,  occupied  a 
small  room  of  approximately  four  hundred  and  eighty 
square  feet.  This  was  chosen  for  him  as  a  private  office, 
but  he  insisted  on  four  of  his  assistants,  Messrs.  Ratshesky, 
Phelan,  Clark  and  Lyman,  sharing  these  quarters,  with  the 

95 


result  that  his  "private"  office  contained  not  only  these 
"partners,"  as  he  termed  them,  but  also  his  secretary,  Mr. 
Thomas  J.  Moore,  four  clerks  and  half  a  dozen  telephones, 
with  telephone  booth  and  switchboard.  Yet  with  all  the 
busy  life  going  on  about  him  he  daily  managed  both  to 
receive  and  to  consult  with  anvwhere  from  twenty-five  to 
fifty  people,  exclusive  of  the  numerous  labor  delegations 
and  Committee  meetings  requiring  his  presence  in  other 
parts  of  the  building. 

The  purpose  of  the  Committee  involved  problems  new 
in  character  and  means  of  fulfillment,  and  different  from 
anything  our  citizens  had  ever  had  occasion  to  deal  with. 
Vexatious  questions  at  home,  or  a  change  of  base  at  Wash- 
ington, continually  taxed  to  the  utmost  the  patience  and 
resources  of  the  inner  office,  which  was  the  main  center  of 
inspiration  and  advice  to  the  sub-committees  working  at  the 
State  House  or  throughout  the  Commonwealth.  Finally, 
committee  meetings,  correspondence  and  the  constant 
strain  of  callers  crowding  the  office  so  hampered  his  time 
that  Mr.  Endicott  found  it  impossible  to  confer  in  private 
with  his  assistants,  and  hence,  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
a  distinguished  national  character,  an  "amen  corner"  was 
arranged  for  as  a  place  for  rest  and  recreation  at  luncheon 
time,  where  who  should  be  host  was  determined  strictly  by 
mathematical  process. 


9G 


Part  II 


LABOR  CONTROVERSIES  AND   ARBITRATIONS 

The  story  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  during  the  two  final  years  of  the  Great  War  is  an 
integral  part  of  the  history  of  the  Commonwealth  in  a  time 
of  ^crisis.  If  her  quota  of  splendid  service  proved  foremost 
at  the  front,  the  triumph  of  her  home  armies  is  likewise  a 
matter  of  record. 

A  member  of  this  rear  guard,  and  on  whose  shoulders  was 
placed  a  great  and  most  serious  responsibility,  was  the 
executive  manager  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 
What  his  popular  administration  accomplished  in  behalf  of 
the  country's  interests  and  in  service  to  the  State  may,  in 
part  at  least,  be  gathered  from  this  story.  Mr.  Endicott's 
leadership  may  well  recall  to  his  associates  the  words  of  a 
great  philosopher  of  more  than  three  centuries  ago :  — 

A  Great  Place. 

Preserve  the  right  of  thy  place,  but  stir  not  questions  of  jurisdiction; 
and  rather  assume  thy  right  in  silence,  and  de  facto,  than  voice  it  with 
claims  and  challenges.  Preserve  likewise  the  rights  of  inferior  places; 
and  think  it  more  honor  to  direct  in  chief  than  to  be  busy  at  all. 
Embrace  and  invite  helps  and  advices  touching  the  execution  of  tin- 
place;  and  do  not  drive  away  such  as  bring  thee  information,  as  meddlers, 
but  accept  of  them  in  good  part. 

The  general  method  of  procedure  on  Mr.  Endicott's  part, 
when  a  labor  difficulty  was  brought  to  him  by  either  the 
employer  or  employee,  was  to  take  the  position  that  he 
would  not  arbitrate  unless  at  the  request  of  both  parties. 
He  next  tried  to  have  both  sides  agree  to  a  settlement 
without  arbitration.  Another  initial  condition  was,  in  case 
arbitration  was  agreed  to  and  the  men  had  already  gone 
out,   that   thev   should   return  to   work   immediately   while 

97 


awaiting  the  result  of  the  arbitrator's  findings,  further 
pledging  themselves  to  abide  by  whatever  decision  was 
eventually  rendered.  It  might  be  added,  also,  that  there 
were  never  but  two  attempts  to  override  his  findings. 
Both  of  these  failed,  and  the  men  in  each  case  went  back  to 
work.  In  many  of  the.  differences  he  was  called  upon  to 
settle  he  acted  not  only  at  the  request  of  all  parties  in 
interest,  but  also  in  response  to  an  urgent  and  personal 
appeal  from  the  Secretary  of  War  or  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  or  both.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  strikes, 
involving  large  numbers  of  employees  and  very  vital  inter- 
ests, and  an  equal  number  of  smaller  ones,  were  adjusted; 
some  never  reaching  the  point  of  formal  arbitration,  but 
being  settled  by  bringing  the  parties  together  and  giving 
advice,  which  was  accepted  in  good  part  and  eventually 
followed. 

The  evidence  of  the  deep-seated  respect  entertained  for 
his  decrees  wras  shown  by  the  continually  multiplying 
demands  for  his  services.  Most  of  the  cases  adjudicated 
appear  to  have  been  brought  primarily  at  the  instance  of 
the  employer,  while  both  the  records  of  the  Committee  and 
Mr.  Endicott's  private  correspondence  contain  many  letters 
of  appreciation  from  parties  in  interest  whose  claims  he  had 
disallowed  in  favor  of  their  opponents. 

Although  Mr.  Endicott  personally  conducted  the  arbitra- 
tions, studying  the  evidence  and  rendering  the  final  decision 
of  adjustment,  he  had  habitually  with  him  as  advisors  one 
or  more  members  of  the  Executive  Committee,  being 
especially  dependent  in  this  regard  on  the  assistance  of  Mr. 
John  F.  Stevens,  Mr.  B.  Preston  Clark  and  Mr.  W.  R. 
Peabodv. 

The  following,  listed  in  the  chronological  order  of  their 
occurrence,  comprehend  the  more  important  controversies :  — ■ 

Gloucester  fishermen. 
Boston  market-garden  teamsters. 

Dock  freight  handlers  connected  with  Locals  No.  809  and  No.  882  of  the 
International  Longshoremen's  Association. 

98 


MaiiiU-nance-of-way  employees  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad. 

Plumbers'  controversy  at  the  cantonment  at  Aver,  Mass. 

Threatened  strike  at  General  Electric  Company  Works  at  Pittsfield, 
Mass. 

Stationary  firemen,  Massachusetts  Chocolate  Company. 

Firemen  and  oilers  on  Floating  Hospital. 

Work  on  government  appraisers'  stores,  Northern  Avenue,  Boston. 

New  England  Fuel  and  Transportation  Company  —  firemen  and  oilers. 

S.  A.  Woods  Machine  Company  —  machinists,  etc. 

Coal  teamsters  of  Boston  and  vicinity. 

Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  car  cleaners. 

Boston  market-garden  teamsters  (second  arbitration). 
.PetUtoat  workers  at  shops  of  Superior  Petticoat  Company. 

Aberthaw  Construction  Company  trouble  at  Squantum. 

Boston  Automobile  Mechanics. 

Boston  &  Maine  machinists  and  helpers,  boiler  makers  and  helpers, 
blacksmiths  and  helpers,  railway  carmen  and  helpers,  sheet-metal 
workers,  pipe  fitters  and  helpers,  and  electrical  workers. 

Fore  River  machinists,  bolters  and  reamers,  helpers  and  crane  men. 

Lynn  shoe  controversy. 

Boston  &  Maine  station  employees,  freight  and  office  clerks,  baggage 
men  and  crossing  tenders. 

The  Western  Electric  Company,  Inc.  —  miscellaneous  employees. 

Bakers'  strike  at  plants  of  Fox  and  Ferguson  companies. 

Lamplighters  of  Boston. 

Stationary  engineers  and  firemen  at  plant  of  Loose- Wiles  Biscuit  Com- 
pany. 

Stove  mounters  of  Boston. 

Haverhill  coal  teamsters,  chauffeurs,  stable  men  and  helpers. 

Coal  teamsters,  chauffeurs  and  helpers  of  Newton,  Watertown,  Waltham 
and  vicinity. 

Sole  cutters  at  factory  of  Gutterman,  Strauss  Company. 

Building  workers  at  Watertown  Arsenal. 

Building  workers  at  appraisers'  stores. 

Lynn  coal  teamsters. 

Overcoat  workers  at  plant  of  Leopold  Morse  Company. 

New  England  Telephone  operators. 

Boston  Elevated  carmen. 

Telephone  operators  outside  metropolitan  Boston. 

Munition  workers  at  plant  of  Albert  &  J.  M.  Anderson  Manufacturing 
Company,  South  Boston. 

Fall  River  mill  firemen. 

Condit  Electrical  Manufacturing  Company  —  assemblers  and  machinists. 

Metal  polishers  at  Wireless  Specialty  Apparatus  Company. 

99 


Carriage,  wagon  and  automobile  workers  of  Boston. 

Carlin  Construction  Company  —  work  on  appraisers'  stores. 

American  Rubber  Works  employees. 

Boston  market-garden  teamsters  (third  arbitration). 

Steam  shovel  and  dredgemen  at  quartermaster's  stores,  South  Boston. 

Scrub  women  at  State  House. 

New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company  —  freight  handlers. 

City  Foundry  Company  —  foundrymen. 

Jewish  bakers. 

Coal  teamsters,  chauffeurs  and  wharf  men  of  Boston  (second  arbitration). 

Weavers  and  spinners  at  West  Boylston  Manufacturing  Company. 

Operators  and  linemen  at  Edison  Electric  Illuminating  Company. 

Controversy  re  dumping  of  ashes  on  fishing  vessels. 

Stationery  firemen,  boiler  and  engine  men  of  Taunton. 

Fish  handlers  at  Boston  Fish  Pier. 

Clothing  workers  at  plant  of  L.  F.  Brundage  Company,  Chelsea,  Mass. 

Carmen  on  railways  operated  in  Worcester,  Springfield,  Attleboro  and 

surrounding  towns. 
North  Adams  Manufacturing  Company  —  spinners. 
Carpet  layers,  Jordan,  Marsh  Company. 
Arbitration  proceedings  regarding  wage  scale  between  Electrical  Union 

No.  103,  I.  B.  E.  W.,  and  Contractors'  Association. 
Berkshire  Street  Railway  Company  —  carmen. 
Loomfixers  and  other  operatives  at  Lowell  Textile  Mills. 
Loomfixers  and  other  operatives  at  Manchester,  N.  H,  Textile  Mills. 
Loomfixers  and  other  operatives  at  Lancaster  Mills,  Clinton,  Mass. 
Weavers  at  American  Woolen  Company  Mills,  Lawrence,  Mass. 
American  Steam  Gauge  and  Valve  Company  —  tool  and  die  makers. 
Coal  hoisting  engineers,  Local  No.  74. 
Weavers  at  the  Clover  Worsted  Mills  at  Franklin,  Mass. 
The  Middlebrook  Wool  Combing  Company  —  wool  scourers  and  sorters. 
Coal  trimmers  employed  by  the  Maritime  Coal  Company. 
Upholsterers  employed  by  Metz  Company  at  Waltham,  Mass. 
Waiters  and  cooks  at  Exchange  Club,  Boston. 
Cold-storage  workers  at  plant  of  Quincy  Market  Cold  Storage  Company, 

Boston. 
Ship  carpenters  at  several  shipbuilding  plants  at  East  Boston,  Mass. 
Gas  distributors  ot  the  Boston  Consolidated  Gas  Company. 
Gloucester  fish  cutters. 

Edwin  A.  Benchley  Company,  Cambridge,  Mass.  —  workers  on  life  rafts. 
Uswoco  Mills,  Lawrence,  Mass.  —  weavers. 
Middlesex  &  Boston  Street  Railway  —  carmen. 


100 


A  few  only  of  the  foregoing,  each  representative  of  its 
special  class,  and  embodying  the  general  principles  involved 
in  all,  will  now  be  discussed. 

Specific  Arbitrations  and  Settlements 
I.     Gloucester  Fishermen 

Shortly  after  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  came  into 
being,  the  attention  of  the  authorities  was  called  to  the 
labor  troubles  prevailing  in  the  Commonwealth,  many  of 
which  affected  matters  of  vital  interest  to  the  government, 
and  threatened  very  seriously  to  impair  the  efficiency  of  the 
home  army. 

The  first  request  coming  to  Mr.  Endicott  to  act  as  arbi- 
trator was  on  April  19, 1917,  in  connection  with  the  Gloucester 
fishermen's  strike.  In  this  controversy  there  were  three 
interests  involved,  --  the  ship  owners,  the  captains,  and  the 
fishermen  or  employees.  About  3,000  men  were  engaged  in 
an  effort  to  change  working  conditions  that  had  been  in 
vogue  on  fishing  vessels  for  many  years.  In  the  neighborhood 
of  375  vessels,  including  10  steam  trawlers,  or  about  the 
entire  fishing  fleet  at  Gloucester,  were  tied  up,  shutting  off 
Massachusetts  from  at  least  one-fifth  of  her  food  produc- 
tion. The  State  Board  of  Arbitration  and  officials  from  the 
United  States  Department  of  Labor  had  for  eight  weeks 
previously  endeavored  to  bring  about  an  adjustment,  but 
failed.  The  strike  was  not  altogether  a  peaceful  one,  and 
at  one  time  it  developed  into  a  small  riot. 

The  fishermen  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Governor  deploring 
the  existence  of  the  strike,  as  well  as  the  necessity,  in  order 
to  keep  up  the  food  supply  of  the  country,  of  their  agreeing 
to  arbitration.  Moreover,  although  still  setting  forth  the 
justice  of  their  original  claims,  they  agreed  to  an  arbitra- 
tion, "because  we  want  to  act  not  less  but  more  patriotically 
than  any  body  of  citizens  in  the  Commonwealth." 

The  masters  and  owners  also  wrote  to  His  Excellency 
explaining   their   difficulties,    and   expressing   the   desire   to 

101 


assume  their  fair  share  of  the  burdens  of  the  war  notwith- 
standing their  belief  in  the  full  justice  of  their  claims. 

Governor  McCall  took  the  matter  up  with  Mr.  Endicott, 
who,  accompanied  by  Mr.  J.  Frank  O'Hare  and  Mr.  John  F. 
Stevens,  labor  representatives,  and  Mr.  Charles  S.  Baxter, 
went  to  Gloucester  as  His  Excellency's  representatives.  All 
sides  to  the  controversy  immediately  went  into  continuous 
session  for  two  days  and  two  nights,  adjourning  the  meet- 
ings one  day  at  3  a.m.,  and  the  final  day  at  4.30  a.m.  The 
strike  was  successfully  settled  by  an  agreement  on  both 
sides,  to  last  for  the  duration  of  the  war. 

This  agreement  was  followed  to  the  letter,  and  not  a 
strike  or  lockout  occurred  in  this  industry  during  the  entire 
period  of  the  war.  Many  adjustments  had  to  be  made 
relating  to  different  vessels,  use  of  gears  and  the  payment 
for  the  same,  general  wages,  working  conditions,  etc.;  yet 
notwithstanding  that  three  separate  interests  were  involved, 
as  above  stated,  the  settlement  entered  into  at  that  time 
worked  satisfactorily  during  the  life  of  the  agreement. 

The  arbitrator's  decisions  on  certain  minor  points  which 
came  up  later  were  also  followed  without  relapse. 

The  conditions  previous  to  this  settlement  were  more  far- 
reaching  than  may  appear.  An  ultimatum  had  been  served 
by  the  Union  on  the  captains  and  shippers,  who  were  in  a 
manner  of  partnership,  that  unless  the  demands  of  the 
fishermen  were  satisfactorily  met  on  April  9,  the  strike 
would  be  extended  to  other  fishing  ports,  at  Boston  as  well 
as  at  Gloucester. 

II.     Market-garden  Teamsters 

The  market-garden  teamsters,  about  300  in  number, 
whose  business  it  was  to  transport  fruits,  vegetables  and 
similar  products  from  the  receiving  stations  to  the  Quincy, 
Faneuil  Hall  and  adjacent  markets,  and  from  thence  to 
different  points  of  distribution,  threatened  to  strike.  If 
this   had   taken    place,    a   serious   curtailment    of    a    class 

102 


of  food  essential  to  the  health  of  the  city  would  have 
resulted. 

About  the  1st  of  May,  1917,  the  teamsters,  having'  asked 
for  an  increase  in  wages  of  $4  per  week  with  an  extra  50 
cents  an  hour  for  overtime,  declared  they  were  going  on 
strike  within  forty-eight  hours.  Later  the  teamsters  ac- 
cepted 40  cents  an  hour  for  overtime,  and  the  controversy 
centered  on  the  $4  extra  a  week. 

At  the  request  of  Governor  McCall  the  strike  was  held 
up  for  twenty-four  hours,  during  which  interval  His  Excel- 
leilcy  called  the  matter  to  the  attention  of  Mr.  Endicott, 
who,  with  others  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  went 
into  conference  with  the  strikers  and  the  team  owners. 
Finally  a  settlement  was  reached  between  them  and  a  new 
weekly  wage  scale  established,  as  follows:  drivers  of  heavy 
wagons,  $16.50;  two-horse  teams,  $18.50;  four-horse  teams, 
$20.50;  chauffeurs  and  lumpers,  $18.50.  Slight  changes 
were  also  made  in  regard  to  hours  and  working  conditions, 
with  an  agreement  that  any  future  differences  between  the 
parties  should  be  settled  by  arbitration. 

The  agreement  of  the  market-garden  teamsters  made  in 
May,  1917,  was  to  continue  for  a  year.  In  October,  1917, 
a  request  was  made  upon  the  team  owners  by  the  teamsters 
for  a  raise  in  wages,  the  latter  saying  that,  although  they 
had  signed  for  one  year,  the  steadily  rising  increase  in  the 
cost  of  living  warranted  their  asking  for  more  money  regard- 
less of  the  agreement.  They  claimed,  besides,  that  teamsters 
in  other  lines  of  work  had  recently  had  their  pay  increased 
voluntarily  by  the  team  owners,  and  were  receiving  $2  a 
week  more  than  the  market-garden  teamsters.  The  matter 
was  brought  to  Mr.  Endicott's  attention,  who,  after  hearing 
both  sides,  recommended  that  the  men  be  given  an  increase 
of  $2  a  week  in  their  respective  classes.  This  recommenda- 
tion met  with  the  approval  of  the  Team  Owner's  Associa- 
tion, and  the  wages  were  raised  accordingly. 

Six  months  later,  on  April  4,  1918,  the  controversy  was 
renewed,  the  teamsters  demanding  a  still  further  increase 

103 


in  pay.  After  several  conferences  had  been  held,  Mr. 
Endicott,  on  April  30,  sent  a  communication  to  Mr.  William 
Mehegan  representing  the  teamsters,  setting  forth  that  it 
should  be  considered  by  them  a  patriotic  duty  to  do  every- 
thing in  their  power  to  prevent,  during  the  war  emergency, 
anything  adversely  affecting  food  supply.  This  letter  was 
read  to  the  members  of  the  Teamsters'  Union.  A  similar 
letter  was  also  sent  to  the  Team  Owners'  Association. 
Apparently  the  suggestions  in  these  communications  were 
followed  out,  for  no  further  effort  was  made  on  the  part  of 
the  men  to  strike. 

If  these  controversies  had  not  been  settled,  it  is  more 
than  probable  that  all  produce  coming  from  Texas  and 
other  points  in  the  South  would  have  gone  to  New  York, 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  for  a  market,  and  that  it  would 
have  taken  the  better  part  of  a  year  to  restore  normal  con- 
ditions for  exports  and  imports  of  produce  at  the  port  of 
Boston. 


III.  Dock  Freight  Handlers  connected  with  Locals 
809  and  822  of  the  international  longshoremen's 
Association 

On  Monday  night,  May  14,  1917,  the  above  dock  freight 
handlers  voted  to  go  on  strike  the  following  Tuesday  morn- 
ing, thereby  threatening  a  serious  tie-up  on  the  whole  water 
front.  Through  the  energetic  efforts  of  Mr.  William  F. 
Dempsey,  national  organizer  of  the  International  Long- 
shoremen's Association,  the  strike  was  held  in  abeyance 
until  he  could  communicate  with  the  Massachusetts  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety,  before  whom  he  later  appeared 
and  stated  his  ease.  The  outcome  was  a  conference  at  the 
Committee's  rooms  between  the  men,  the  contractors  and 
the  railroads,  with  the  result  that  the  strike  was  called  off 
until  Monday  night,  May  21.  No  satisfactory  agreement 
having  been  reached  by  that  time,  it  went  into  effect  on 
Tuesday,  May  22. 

104 


On  Wednesday,  May  23,  the  Committee  called  the  parties 
in  interest  together,  including  the  representatives  of  the 
men,  of  the  Boston  &  Maine  and  Boston  &  Albany  Rail- 
roads, and  of  the  contractors.  A  plan  was  adopted  to  sus- 
pend the  strike  for  a  fortnight,  during  which  time  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety  was  to  investigate  the  claims  of 
both  sides.  On  submitting  this  plan  to  the  East  Boston 
Freight  Handlers'  Union  No.  822  it  was  accepted,  although 
the  men  did  not  return  to  work  immediately.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  was  flatly  rejected  by  the  Charlestown  Long- 
shoremen's Union  No.  809  at  a  special  meeting,  and  by  a 
vote  of  79  to  59.  Following  this  action  the  general  freight 
handlers  at  Charlestown  immediately  struck  in  sympathy, 
as  did  likewise  the  longshoremen.  If  this  condition  had 
continued  the  result  would  have  been  a  general  tieing  up  of 
the  whole  water  front,  completely  paralyzing  all  avenues  of 
commerce  at  the  port  of  Boston. 

Nevertheless,  on  Saturday,  May  26,  Union  No.  809  at 
Charlestown  reconsidered  their  former  action  and  unan- 
imously voted  to  accept  the  plan  of  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety,  as  already  agreed  to  by  Union  No.  822. 
Under  this  arrangement  all  the  dock  freight  handlers  went 
back  to  work  without  prejudice  and  under  the  same  condi- 
tions existing  before  they  struck,  but  with  the  express  stipu- 
lation that  they  should  be  given  an  opportunity  to  present 
their  case  to  Mr.  Endicott  and  the  following  Committee: 
James  J.  Phelan,  John  F.  Stevens,  J.  Frank  O'Hare  and 
Charles  S.  Baxter. 

At  the  same  time  the  general  freight  handlers  and  long- 
shoremen, who  were  out  on  a  sympathetic  strike,  likewise 
returned  to  work. 

The  decision  of  the  Committee  above  named  was  rendered 
on  June  5,  1917,  to  the  effect  that  the  wages  of  the  men 
should  be  increased  20  cents  per  day  from  May  28,  to 
November  28,  1917,  and  that  thereafter,  from  November 
28,  1917,  to  May  28,  1918,  they  should  receive  5  cents  a 
day  additional,  making  the  increase  for  the  latter  six  months 

105 


25  cents  a  day  above  their  present  wages.  At  first  there 
was  some  hesitation  on  the  part  of  a  few  of  the  men  about 
accepting  this  award,  but  the  matter  was  finally  adjusted, 
and  the  men  went  back  to  work  as  before. 

If  this  controversy  had  not  been  settled  it  was  likely, 
through  sympathy,  that  a  strike  of  all  dock  freight  handlers, 
loading  and  unloading  freight  for  other  railroads  on  the 
Atlantic  seaboard,  as  well  as  of  general  freight  handlers 
and  longshoremen,  would  also  have  taken  place,  thereby 
involving  nearly  10,000  men. 

Four  months  later,  on  October  1,  1917,  the  Charlestown 
and  East  Boston  dock  freight  handlers  demanded  approxi- 
mately $3.50  a  day,  a  nine-hour  day,  and  double  pay  for 
overtime.  These  demands  were  not  acceded  to  by  the 
railroads,  and  all  the  men,  for  the  second  time,  went  on 
strike. 

The  Secretary  of  War,  realizing  that  interruption  through 
this  work  meant  serious  delay  in  the  whole  army  program, 
sent  his  representative,  Mr.  Stanley  King,  on  from  Washing- 
ton. After  consulting  Mr.  Endicott,  Mr.  King  had  an 
interview  with  the  leader  of  the  strikers  and  arranged  that 
the  case  should  be  left  to  arbitration,  three  men  being  agreed 
upon  to  act  as  arbitrators,  namely,  Mr.  King  as  chairman, 
Dean  Edwin  F.  Gay  of  Harvard  University,  and  Mr.  Martin 
T.  Joyce  representing  the  American  Federation  of  Labor. 
The  men  promised  to  go  back  to  work  pending  the  arbitra- 
tion, which  agreement  they  kept.  This  commission  had 
several  hearings,  and  on  October  1G,  1917,  rendered  a  de- 
cision allowing  the  men  an  increase  of  25  cents  a  day  over 
their  present  wage  of  $2.75.  Slight  changes  were  also  made 
in  the  hours  and  working  conditions. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  the  award,  however,  the  men  refused 
to  accept  its  terms,  and,  contrary  to  their  promise,  left  work 
for  the  third  time. 

Once  more  the  Secretary  of  War  was  compelled  to  appeal 
to  Mr.  Endicott,  who,  on  October  17,  calling  the  strikers 
together,  set  forth  the  seriousness  of  the  emergency,  impress- 

106 


ing  upon  the  men  how  directly  the  safety  of  our  hoys 
fighting-  at  the  front  was  involved,  bringing  to  their  atten- 
tion that  they  had  previously  agreed  to  abide  by  the  decision 
of  the  Commission  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  and 
ending  with  an  urgent  appeal  to  their  patriotism  to  stand 
by  their  given  word.  It  was  also  pointed  out  to  them  that 
by  not  living  up  to  their  agreement  they  were  seriously 
damaging  their  organization.  After  this  conference  they 
held  a  meeting,  and  all  voted  to  accept  the  award  and  went 
b^ck  to  work. 

IV.     Boston  &  Maine  Machinists 

In  the  early  part  of  September,  1917,  about  3,500  em- 
ployees of  the  Boston  &  Maine  System  Federation  of  Rail- 
road Employees,  Department  of  the  American  Federation 
of  Labor,  composed  of  machinists  and  helpers,  boiler  makers 
and  helpers,  blacksmiths  and  helpers,  railway  carmen,  — 
all  affiliated  with  the  Federation,  —  together  with  non- 
affiliated sheet-metal  workers,  pipe  fitters  and  helpers 
and  electrical  workers,  were  on  strike,  demanding  a  flat 
increase  in  wages  of  8  cents  per  hour,  thus  crippling  the 
road  and  threatening  to  bring  transportation  to  a  stand- 
still throughout  the  entire  system.  The  receiver,  under 
the  court's  instruction,  was  authorized  to  submit  the  dispute 
to  an  arbitrator  to  be  chosen  by  the  Council  of  National 
Defense. 

On  September  5  Mr.  Endicott  received  a  telegram  from 
the  Secretary  of  War,  requesting  him  to  do  everything  in 
his  power  to  settle  the  strike.  Immediately  following  this 
came  a  letter  from  the  Department  of  Labor  requesting 
him  "to  use  your  good  offices,  in  conjunction  with  the  efforts 
of  the  Federal  authorities,  to  bring  about,  if  possible,  an 
immediate  settlement  of  this  difficulty,"  and  further  stating 
that  it  was  deemed  of  the  utmost  public  importance,  in 
the  interest  of  all  concerned,  that  "this  labor"  should  be 
undertaken. 

107 


In  response  to  these  requests  Mr.  Endieott  called  the 
parties  in  interest  together,  asking  both  sides  to  submit 
a  succinct  statement  of  their  case,  and  to  give  the  gist  of 
the  evidence  substantiating  their  respective  contentions. 
After  a  hearing  he  recommended  to  Mr.  J.  H.  Hustis,  the 
receiver,  that,  pending  a  final  decision,  the  wages  be  raised 
at  once  5  cents  per  hour,  on  condition  that  the  men  return 
immediately  to  work.  This  they  did,  and  both  sides  agreed 
to  leave  their  remaining  claims  to  him  as  arbitrator. 

In  the  final  arbitration  the  agreement  for  an  advance  of 
5  cents  was  extended  also  to  the  apprentices. 

The  main  question  for  decision  was  as  to  what  part,  if 
any,  of  the  3  cents  per  hour  additional  the  men  were  reason- 
ably entitled  to,  taking  into  consideration  the  advanced 
cost  of  living  and  the  maintenance  of  good  living  standards, 
as  well  as  the  figures  presented  showing  the  rates  of  pay 
and  the  recent  advances  on  most  of  the  railroads  of  the 
United  States.  There  was  no  material  disagreement  be- 
tween the  parties  as  to  the  evidence,  and  the  case  as  presented 
to  Mr.  Endieott  was  on  an  undisputed  statement  of  facts. 

In  his  decision  he  refused  to  entertain  the  position  that 
the  poor  financial  condition  of  the  railroad  —  so  distressingly 
bad  as  to  call  for  material  relief  at  the  hands  of  the  Federal 
authorities  -  -  made  it  reasonable  to  ask  the  men  to  work 
for  less  than  fair  wages.    He  then  goes  on  to  say:  — 

It  appeared  that  the  present  rates  of  pay  of  corresponding  men  on  the 
great  majority  of  all  the  other  railroads  in  the  United  States  had  only 
recently  been  fixed,  in  most  part  by  agreement  with  the  federations  or 
(in  some  eases)  by  arbitration. 

It  also  appeared  that  rates  of  pay  were  now,  and  have  been  for  an 
indefinite  past,  fixed  and  paid  on  different  bases  in  the  East  and  in  the 
West,  and  on  a  number  of  long  lines  there  are  two  or  three  rates  of  pay 
to  the  same  class  of  men,  lowest  in  the  East,  and  "increasing  as  you  go 
West." 

It  appeared  that  union  scale  wages,  not  only  for  railroad  men  but  for 
various  other  artisans,  were  generally  and  materially  lower  in  the  East 
than  in  the  West. 

There  also  appeared,  even  in  schedules  recently  agreed  upon  by  the 
men  in  different  sections  of  the  United  States,  numerous  apparent  dis- 

108 


parities,  as,  tor  example,  on  one  road  the  boiler  maker  gets  a  higher 
rate  per  hour  than  the  machinist  or  the  blacksmith;  on  another  road 
the  blacksmith  gets  the  highest;    while  on  others  all  three  get  the  same. 

All  that  (whether  meritorious  or  not,  and  whatever  the  historic  or 
other  reasons  for  the  disparities  may  be)  would  involve  standardizing  the 
rates  through  the  railroads  of  the  country,  and  any  such  matter  as  that 
is  clearly  beyond  the  scope  of  this  reference  to  me. 

The  men  on  the  Boston  &  Maine  system  had  a  flat  2  cents  per  hour 
advance  in  April,  retroactive  to  January,  1917.  The  5  cent  advance  of 
September  8  made  the  total  advance  for  1917,  7  cents  per  hour,  or  about 
26  per  cent  advance  on  the  average  of  the  prior  wages. 

Considering  the  present  and  recently  agreed  rates  on  nearly  all  the 
ioads  in  the  country,  and  particularly  on  the  roads  east  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  I  am  absolutely  clear  that  the  5  cents  per  hour  advance  made  to 
the  Boston  &  Maine  men  on  September  8  was  a  proper  advance,  fairly 
called  for,  but  I  am  equally  clear,  on  all  the  evidence,  that  that,  advance 
put  the  men  on  at  least  as  high  a  wage  basis  as  the  average  in  the  entire 
eastern  half  of  the  country. 

I  find  that  the  7-cent  Boston  &  Maine  advance,  in  1917,  corresponds 
very  closely  indeed  with  the  average  percentage  of  all  the  similar  railroad 
advances  made  and  accepted  by  the  federations  in  1917  throughout  the 
United  States,  so  far,  at  least,  as  disclosed  by  all  the  evidence  before  me. 

From  the  tables  furnished  me  (particularly  those  of  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics)  I  feel  that  the  7-cent  wage  advance  of  1917 
(roughly,  L2(>  per  cent  of  the  former  wage)  fairly  corresponds,  on  the 
whole,  with  the  simultaneous  advance  in  the  cost  of  living,  but  whether 
this  be  strictly  true  or  not,  I  also  feel  that  the  recent  advance  in  living 
costs  is  a  war  result  of  uncertain  duration,  and  that  no  man  can  fairly 
claim  (and  certainly  no  worker  involved  in  this  case  would  claim)  that 
he  was  to  be  so  paid  or  otherwise  taken  care  of  that  he  would  bear  no 
part  of  the  burden  of  the  war,  or  that  he  would  want  to  escape  doing  his 
fair  share  towards  accomplishing  its  speedy  and  successful  termination. 

It  is  my  best  judgment,  arrived  at  after  long  hours  of  study,  that  the 
recent  o-cent  advance  made  the  wages,  on  the  wdiole,  as  fair  and  reason- 
able as  I  could  make  them,  and  I,  therefore,  award  nothing  more. 


The  settlement  of  this  strike  was  most  fortunate,  inas- 
much as  the  whole  Boston  &  Maine  system  would  have 
been  paralyzed  if  there  had  been  a  failure  to  bring  together 
both  sides  in  the  dispute. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  arbitrament  was  directly 
contrary  to  the  demands,  if  not  expectations,  of  the  wage 

109 


earners,  Mr.  Robert  Feclmer,  who  represented  the  em- 
ployees in  the  many  conferences  held,  wrote  a  very  courteous 
letter  to  Mr.  Endicott,  thanking  him  for  the  interest  he 
had  shown,  and  giving  his  assurance  that  the  working  men 
would  abide  by  the  terms  of  the  arbitration.    This  they  did. 

V.     Fore  River  Machinists,  Reamers  and  Bolters 

About  the  1st  of  November,  1917,  between  8,000  and 
9,000  men,  workers  at  the  Fore  River  Shipbuilding  Plant, 
and  comprising  machinists,  bolters  and  reamers,  helpers, 
drillers  and  crane  men,  were  on  strike.  On  November  4 
Mr.  Endicott  received  a  telegram  from  the  United  States 
Shipping  Board,  Washington,  requesting  him  to  consider 
the  situation  as  it  existed  at  Fore  River,  and  further  stating 
that  the  Shipbuilding  Labor  Adjustment  Board,  operating 
under  an  agreement  —  a  copy  of  which  was  forwarded 
later  —  between  the  government  and  officials  of  the  American 
Federation  of  Labor,  was  at  that  time  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  so  not  available  to  entertain  the  proposition  at  Fore 
River;  and  that  those  now  working  in  the  interest  of  media- 
tion at  Quincy  were  unable  to  bring  the  contending  parties 
together.  The  telegram  likewise  expressed  the  desire  that 
Mr.  Endicott  should  act  as  mediator. 

On  the  same  day  a  conference  was  held  between  the 
officials  of  the  company,  Mr.  Robert  Fechner  representing 
the  men,  and  Mr.  Endicott,  the  result  of  which  was  an 
agreement  appointing  the  latter  as  arbitrator.  This  agree- 
ment provided  that  the  men  should  at  once  return  to  work 
at  the  same  scale  of  wages  prevailing  at  the  Charlestown 
Navy  Yard,  which  had  gone  into  effect  on  November  1, 
1917,  and  that  the  question  of  classification  of  the  employees 
should  be  left  to  arbitration.  Still  further,  it  was  stipulated 
that  during  the  continuance  of  the  war,  and  for  such  time 
as  government  work  was  being  done  at  the  Fore  River 
Yard,  the  government  wage  under  the  agreement  should 
remain  in  force  unless  altered  by  mutual  consent. 

110 


A  telegram  was  also  received  by  Mr.  Endieott  from  the 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  offering  the  suggestion 
that  the  scale  of  wages  established  November  1  at  the 
Navy  Yard,  which  had  proved  acceptable  to  both  labor  and 
the  government,  as  well  as  all  questions  involving  the  details 
of  putting  these  wages  into  force  at  the  Fore  River  Works  in 
the  same  spirit  in  which  they  were  in  operation  at  the 
Charlestown  Navy  Yard,  should  be  left  to  the  arbitrator's 
determination. 

At  once  a  series  of  conferences  was  held  between  the 
officials  of  the  company  and  the  representatives  of  the 
men,  where  the  whole  subject  of  classification  was  thoroughly 
gone  into,  and  on  November  28  Mr.  Endieott  rendered  his 
decision,  in  substance  as  follows:  — 

Bolters  and  Reamers 
The  bolters  and  reamers  who  had  previously  been  rated  on  a  classifi- 
cation of  32  per  cent  first  class  and  68  per  cent  second  class  were,  under 
the  new  arrangement,  to  be  rated  in  the  proportion  of  51  per  cent  first 
class  and  49  per  cent  second  class.  By  this  finding  the  wages  of  50  men 
were  immediately  advanced. 

First  and  Second  Class  Helpers 
In  regard  to  these  men,  inasmuch  as  the  proportion  of  first-class 
helpers  at  the  Navy  Yard  was  higher  than  at  the  Fore  River  Yard,  it  w  as 
only  reasonable  that  the  Fore  River  Works,  under  the  existing  condi- 
tions, should  raise  the  proportion  of  first-class  helpers  to  55  per  cent, 
and  second-class  helpers  to  45  per  cent,  classification.  These  propor- 
tions had  formerly  been  5  per  cent  for  first-class  helpers,  and  95  per 
cent  for  second-class  helpers.  In  consequence,  by  this  finding  the  rating 
of  260  men  was  immediately  raised. 

Drillers 

In  the  matter  of  drillers,  it  was  found  that  the  existing  wage  classifi- 
cation for  first  and  second  class  drillers  at  the  Fore  River  Works  was 
identical  with  that  in  force  on  November  1  at  the  Charlestown  Navy 
Yard,  making  no  further  change  necessary  or  advisable. 

As  to  third-class  drillers,  those  employed  by  the  Fore  River  Company 
had  been  receiving  a  rating  between  the  first  and  second  class  helpers' 
ratings,  and  as  no  such  distinction  existed  at  the  Navy  Yard,  it  followed 
that  there  was  no  argument  for  changing  the  existing  classification. 

Ill 


Crane  Men 

In  regard  to  the  crane  men,  the  arbitrator  found  that  those  operating 
overhead  electric  cranes,  or  electrically  operated  shipbuilding  cranes, 
should  be  classified  as  crane  men,  with  the  same  rating  and  with  the 
same  pay  as  crane  men  received  at  the  Navy  Yard. 

All  crane  men  operating  locomotive  cranes,  track  cranes  and  floating 
cranes  were  given  a  special  classification  and  rating  as  first-class  en- 
gineers. 

Crane  men  operating  floating  cranes  of  10  tons  or  less  were  classified 
and  rated  as  first,  second  or  third  class  engineers,  according  to  the  ton- 
nage of  the  cranes. 

An  operator  of  the  floating  crane  with  an  electric  drive  was  given  a 
rating  similar  to  the  operator  at  the  Navy  Yard  in  charge  of  the  150- 
ton  floating  cranes. 

Machinists 

It  was  decided  that  19  per  cent  of  the  machinists  employed  should  be 
rated  as  first  class,  58  per  cent  second  class,  and  23  per  cent  third  class, 
these  rates  of  payment  for  the  respective  classes  being  on  the  same  basis 
as  those  prevailing  at  the  Navy  Yard.  The  proportions  previously  ex- 
isting for  machinists  at  Fore  River  were  12  per  cent  first  class,  20  per 
cent  second  class  and  68  per  cent  third  class. 

This  last  finding  resulted  in  an  advance  in  rating  of  over  400  machin- 
ists, and  was  based  upon  information  which  the  machinists  themselves 
furnished  on  blanks  supplied  by  Mr.  E.  R.  Thayer,  master  mechanic  at 
the  Navy  Yard.  It  was  also  a  part  of  the  finding  on  the  rating  of  machin- 
ists that  promotions  in  the  three  classes  should  be  made  in  accordance 
with  the  Navy  Yard  system,  but  only  after  probationary  periods.  More- 
over, it  was  provided  that  demotions  and  discharges  should  be  made  in 
individual  cases  where  cause  warranted  it. 

Finally,  all  the  classifications  and  reratings  in  connection  with  any  of 
the  above  classes  were  to  be  retroactive  from  the  date  the  men  returned 
to  work,  namely,  November  5. 

This  decision  met,  in  general,  with  the  approbation  of 
the  contending  parties.  Protests,  however,  were  made  to 
the  Navy  Department  by  the  machinists,  alleging  that 
certain  instructions  in  the  award  were  not  definite  enough 
to  absolutely  ensure,  in  their  judgment,  fair  classification. 
But  the  Department  refused  to  interfere,  on  the  ground 
that  it  was  committed  to  the  principle  of  arbitration,  and 
would  not  consider  in  any  way  reopening  the  matter. 
Assistant  Secretary  Roosevelt,  apparently  judging  that  con- 

112 


ditions  were  still  critical  at  the  Fore  River  Works,  and  on 
the  assumption  that  the  men  were  restless  and  likely  to 
stop  work  at  any  moment,  communicated  the  substance  of 
these  protests  to  Mr.  Endicott,  who,  in  reply,  said  in  part:  — 

In  every  labor  trouble  where  I  have  had  occasion  to  take  part  I  have 
felt  it  wise  to  keep  in  touch  as  far  as  possible  with  conditions  after  the 
men  had  gone  back  to  work  on  my  recommendation,  and  the  exact  con- 
ditions at  Fore  River  were  as  follows:  while  there  was  some  dissatisfac- 
tion amongst  the  crane  men  (which  has  been  easily  adjusted),  and  there 
was  some  criticism  as  to  the  strictness  of  the  yardstick,  and  a  natural 
feejing  that  each  man  would  like  to  know  just  where  he  was  going  to  come 
out,  there  was  no  thought  on  the  part  of  the  men  to  take  part  again  in 
an  open  break. 

The  resultant  effect  of  this  arbitration  was  that  where 
9,000  men  walked  out,  and  the  building  of  our  so  badly 
needed  destroyers  was  threatened  with  indefinite  delay,  all 
of  the  men  went  back  to  work  awaiting  the  decision  of 
the  arbitrator,  by  which  they  abided  when  it  was  given. 
Thus  a  serious  setback  to  our  efficiency  was  avoided. 

VI.     Lynn  Shoe  Controversy 

Discontent  on  the  question  of  wages  among  the  shoe 
makers  operating  in  twenty-six  shoe  factories  in  Lynn  cul- 
minated on  April  18,  1917,  when  the  employees  struck  and 
the  doors  were  closed,  every  factory  completely  shutting 
down,  and  the  workmen  remaining  on  strike  for  over  five 
months.  Government  mediators  from  the  Department  of 
Labor  at  Washington,  as  well  as  from  the  Board  of  Concilia- 
tion and  Arbitration,  being  the  same  agencies  that  had 
taken  a  hand  previously  in  the  hope  of  settling  the  Gloucester 
fishermen's  strike,  endeavored  to  bring  about  a  settlement 
between  the  parties  in  interest,  but  without  result. 

A  resolution  was  drawn  up  by  the  Joint  Committee  of 
the  United  Shoe  Workers  of  America  and  the  Allied  Shoe 
Makers'  Union,  recommending  that  Mr.  Endicott  should 
act  as   arbitrator  in   the  dispute.     To   this,   however,   the 

113 


employers  refused  to  assent,  contending  that  if  the  wages 
demanded  by  the  workmen  were  paid,  it  would  be  impossible 
for  them  to  make  shoes  at  a  profit.  This  was  one  of  the 
two  cases  -  -  the  other  being  the  Middlesex  &  Boston  Street 
Railway  controversy  --  in  which  Mr.  Endicott  interposed 
to  settle  a  strike  without  first  awaiting  the  request  of  both 
parties.  But  considering  the  matter  of  such  vital  and 
immediate  importance,  he  felt  justified  in  calling  a  meeting 
at  the  mayor's  office,  in  Lynn,  on  the  morning  of  September 
19;   and  in  notifying  both  parties  added:  — 

It  is  my  judgment  that  if  either  side  fails  to  be  at  this  meeting  it  will 
be  a  serious  mistake  on  its  part. 

Both  parties  met  at  the  time  appointed,  and  in  less  than 
twenty  minutes  an  agreement  was  reached,  the  essential 
terms  of  which  were  as  follows :  — 

1.  Employees  to  resume  work  September  24,  1917. 

2.  To  receive  same  wages  (and  bonus)  as  paid  April  18. 

3.  No  lockout  or  strike  for  three  years  from  September  19,  1917. 
Differences  during  the  life  of  the  agreement  to  be  considered  by  a  com- 
mittee representing  the  manufacturers  and  the  unions.  Failing  an 
agreement,  all  matters  to  be  submitted  to  the  State  Board,  whose  decision 
should  be  final. 

4.  "Pending  prices"  submitted  to  Mr.  Endicott  as  arbitrator,  his  de- 
cision to  be  "final,"  and  "to  be  retroactive  to  the  date  the  men  return 
to  work."  i.e.,  September  24,  1917. 

This  agreement  was  signed  by  both  parties,  as  well  as 
by  Mr.  Endicott.  In  accordance  with  its  terms  the  decision 
when  made  was  to  be. final  and  retroactive  to  September 
24.  1917,  the  date  on  which  the  men  returned  to  work. 

Immediately  after  this  agreement  was  decided  upon  the 
Lynn  Shoe  Manufacturers'  Association  wrote  to  Mr.  Endi- 
co1 1,  saying:  — 

It  has  been  a  most  remarkable  controversy,  and  it  is  our  belief  that 
the  settlement  just  reached  through  you  will  ensure  permanent  and  pros- 
perous peace  to  the  Lynn  shoe  industry. 

114 


Again,  a  large  shoe  manufacturer,  and  one  of  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  manufacturers  in  the  controversy,  wrote 
to  him,  in  part,  as  follows:  — 

You  approached  the  situation  in  a  fair  and  diplomatic  way,  and  I 
believe  you  have  left  a  feeling  of  eo-operation  between  the  union  leaders 
and  the  manufacturers  that  we  have  not  had  here  for  many  years,  and 
which  in  my  opinion  means  much  to  the  future  of  our  industry  in  this 
city. 

Mr.  Endicott  also  received  the  following  letter  from  Mayor 
George  H.  Newhall  of  Lynn :  — 

',  I  again  want  to  thank  you  for  the  most  valuable  service  that  you 
rendered  to  the  citizens  of  Lynn  in  the  matter  of  settling  our  labor 
troubles. 

We  shall  always  think  of  you  as  a  most  valuable  friend  to  our  city. 
You  could  not  have  done  better.  You  were  "the  right  man  in  the  right 
place."  What  you  accomplished  will  go  down  in  history  as  one  of  the 
most  important  events  for  the  industrial  peace  and  prosperity  of  our 
citizens. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  written  to  him 
by  the  President  of  the  Lynn  Chamber  of  Commerce :  — 

I  am  writing  to  you  both  as  President  of  the  Lynn  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  as  a  private  citizen,  — -  who  has  contributed  as  a  volunteer 
effort  hundreds  of  hours  during  the  past  twenty  years  for  public  welfare 
and  public  improvement  purposes,  —  to  tender  to  you  the  gratitude  and 
appreciation  of  the  business  men  of  Lynn  for  the  great  public  service 
you  rendered  to  this  city  in  your  recent  arbitration  effort. 

Also  I  desire  to  express  through  you  to  Governor  McCall  the  same 
appreciation.  The  satisfaction  of  achievement  in  matters  of  this  kind  is 
not  only  the  greatest  reward  for  an  effort  that  helps  a  whole  community, 
but  it  is  generally  sufficient  to  a  man  of  your  ideals  for  the  work  that  has 
been  done  for  this  purpose. 

On  September  22,  in  his  report  to  the  Governor,  at  whose 
request  he  had  taken  the  matter  up,  after  mentioning  the 
assistance  given  him  by  Mr.  Ratshesky,  Mr.  Endicott 
said :  — 

I  cannot  claim  any  great  credit  in  the  adjustment  of  this  matter,  as  I 
feel  I  only  carried  out  your  original  suggestion  that  both  sides  be  brought 

115 


together  to  counsel,  with  a  guide  to  smooth  the  rougher  edges  of  contro- 
versy, find  the  essential  differences,  and  by  suggesting  the  way  out,  to 
start  immediately  the  wheels  of  industry  in  the  great  common  cause  of 
the  Nation  and  the  State.  I  was  enabled  to  do  exactly  these  things 
through  the  good  sense,  the  mutual  toleration  and  the  generous  spirit  of 
concession  shown  by  both  sides. 

I  must  say  to  you  that  both  workers  and  manufacturers,  as  repre- 
sented at  the  conference,  deserve  from  you  as  Governor,  and  from  the 
people  of  their  city  and  State,  hearty  congratulations  because  of  the 
result  obtained. 

I  had  every  reason  to  expect  at  times  evidence  of  feeling  on  both 
sides,  but  I  am  delighted  to  say  that,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that,  at 
your  suggestion,  I  have  presided  at  numerous  conferences  between  work- 
ers and  their  employers  in  order  that  the  industrial  progress  of  the 
country  should  not  be  hindered,  never  have  I  seen  better  feeling  than 
that  which  prevailed  at  the  Lynn  conference.  The  Lynn  shoe  shops 
will  reopen  Monday. 

I  am  only  giving  to  the  members  of  your  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
the  credit  I  think  is  due  them  when  I  say  that  since  their  appointment 
by  you  they  have  backed  me  in  every  one  of  the  big  tasks  undertaken. 

In  replying,  the  -Governor  said  in  part  as  follows :  — 

I  most  heartily  thank  you,  and  through  you  the  members  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety,  for  the  excellent  work  you  have  done  in  bring- 
ing the  employers  and  emplo3-ees  in  the  Lynn  factories  together  so  that 
work  is  to  be  resumed.  The  keeping  of  our  railroads  and  of  our  indus- 
tries in  motion  has  so  important  a  relation  to  our  efficiency  at  war  that  I 
have  regarded  it,  as  you  know,  as  one  of  the  prime  subjects  of  the  juris- 
diction of  your  committee,  and  I  have,  therefore,  called  upon  you,  when 
industrial  difficulties  arose,  to  attempt  to  compose  them.  This  work 
alone,  not  to  mention  the  other  most  excellent  work  that  has  been  done, 
vindicates  the  appointment  of  the  Public  Safety  Committee. 

The  arbitration  being  agreed  upon,  both  sides  were 
given  ample  opportunity  to  present  all  the  facts  and  to 
argue  their  claims.  These  were  submitted  in  voluminous 
and  detailed  form  on  behalf  of  the  employees  by  Mr.  Stephen 
M.  Walsh,  general  secretary,  United  Shoe  Workers  of 
America;  Mr.  Benjamin  Fish  of  the  Lasters'  Local  Union 
No.  1;  Mr.  George  W.  Savage  of  Lasting  Machine  Opera- 
tors'  Local   Union  No.   5;    Mr.   David   G.   Nunan  of  the 

116 


McKay  Sewers'  Local  Union  No.  17;  Mr.  G.  Frank  Newhall 
of  Packing  Room  Local  No.  8;  Mr.  Charles  A.  Wilson 
of  Bottomers'  Local  No.  21;  Mr.  Charles  C.  Whidden  of 
the  Button  Hole  Operators'  Local  No.  38;  Mr.  Henry 
Dinan  of  Mixed  Local  No.  54;  Mr.  William  O.  Atwell  of 
Stitchers'  Union  57;  Mr.  W.  S.  Blaisdell  of  the  Lining 
and  Trimming  Cutters'  Local  No.  62;  and  by  Mr.  Joseph 
F.  Parks  of  Stockfitters'  Local  68.  The  manufacturers 
were  represented  by  Mr.  Harry  M.  Read,  president,  and 
Mr.  George  W.  Gage,  secretary,  of  the  Lynn  Shoe  Manu- 
facturers' Association,  and  by  several  individual  manu- 
facturing concerns.  When  the  testimony  was  all  in  the 
arbitrator  took  several  months  to  study  the  evidence,  as 
well  as  the  conditions  existing  in  other  shoe  centers,  and 
on  February  6,  1918,  rendered  his  decision. 

He  called  attention  to  the  demoralized  and  unfortunate 
condition  into  which  Lynn  had  fallen,  bad  alike  for  the 
employers  and  the  employees,  with  special  emphasis  on 
the  fact  that  the  work  of  the  different  factories  was  neither 
graded  nor  steady,  with  piece  prices  hopelessly  at  variance 
in  the  different  plants  and  without  consideration  of  the 
grades  of  shoes  or  the  sizes  made;  that  the  required  skill 
of  experienced  workers  was  not  properly  recognized  in  the 
wages  paid,  and  that  the  pay  was  often  disproportionate 
to  the  work  done;  that  no  uniformity  existed  in  the  pay- 
ments for  "extras;"  and  that  women's  and  girls'  jobs  were 
wrongly  held  by  men. 

In  regard  to  time,  he  said :  — 

The  shoe  business  cannot  be  successfully  run  on  the  plan  of  working 
the  factories  part  time,  by  paying  for  that  time  such  high  wages  as  will 
make  up  for  long  periods  of  "lay-offs"  and  no  work.  The  employee 
wants  a  year's  earnings,  of  course,  but  the  manufacturers  cannot  pay  a 
full  year's  wage  for  eight  months'  work  and  continue  long  in  the  business. 

After  stating  that  he  would  not  take  into  consideration 
rules  and  shop  conditions,  —as  this  phase  of  the  controversy 
was  not  left  for  him  to  arbitrate  under  the  terms  of  a  written 
agreement  which  involved  only  pending  prices, — he  takes 

117 


up   the   latter   question   as   the   precise   issue   involved   for 
arbitration:  — 

The  various  "locals"  have  submitted  to  me,  very  long,  elaborate  and 
detailed  lists  of  prices  now  in  force,  covering  hundreds  of  various  opera- 
tions and  "extras,"  with  requests  and  arguments  for  the  increase  of  these 
various  items,  or  most  of  them,  by  from  10  to  (in  some  cases)  40  to  50 
per  cent.  If  by  granting  such  requests  I  could  fill  the  Lynn  shops  with 
steady  work,  I  would  gladly  do  anything  in  my  power  in  this  direction. 
Such  would,  however,  be  impossible. 

I  am  fully  satisfied,  after  careful  study,  that  the  great  body  of  the 
present  wage  bases  could  not,  in  any  fairness  whatever,  be  now  raised. 

The  operators  in  Lynn  are  now  being  paid  the  list  prices  plus  10  per 
cent,  this  percentage  increase  having  gone  into  effect  by  agreement 
between  the  parties  as  of  January  15,  1917. 

The  list  prices,  without  the  10  per  cent,  are  many  of  them  higher 
than  prevail  in  other  shoe  manufacturing  centers,  and  even  in  some  in 
which  higher  grade  shoes  are  made  than  are  made  in  Lynn  generally.  I 
am  now  asked  to  raise  many  prices  at  which  very  high  weekly  earnings 
are  being  made  in  Lynn  shops. 

I  believe  many  of  the  individual  prices  in  Lynn  are  now  higher  than 
the  shoe  trade  there  can  possibly  stand,  in  the  competitive  race,  on 
standard  work,  for  any  length  of  time.  At  the  present  piece  prices 
(particularly  with  the  present  10  per  cent  bonus)  many  of  the  workers 
are  getting  good,  and,  in  some  cases,  high  earnings.  With  anything  like 
steady  work  and  good  efforts,  I  am  satisfied  that  the  present  prices  (plus 
bonus)  would  yield  good  wages  to  all. 

To  raise  such  prices  would  simply  be  making  conditions  worse  for  all 
concerned. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Lynn  is  only  one  of  many  shoe  manu- 
facturing centers  in  the  country.  If  the  manufacture  of  a  particular 
shoe  costs  $5  in  Lynn,  and  only  $4.50  or  less  in  other  places,  Lynn  will  be 
"shut  down."     The  other  places  will  get  the  work. 

The  case  before  me  shows  many  instances  of  employees,  in  operations 
requiring  no  great  training  or  skill,  drawing  wages  (on  the  basis  of  present 
list  prices)  at  rates  of  from  $140  to  $200  a  month.  No  manufacturer  in 
the  world  can  keep  his  factory  going  "steady"  under  any  such  condi- 
tions, which  are  demoralizing  to  the  employee  who  receives  a  wage  he 
does  not  merit;  to  the  more  skilled  employee  whose  real  merit  is  not 
correspondingly  compensated;  and  to  the  employer  who  has  to  compete 
with  other  shoe  manufacturers. 

It  is  true  that  there  are  cases  where  the  earnings,  through  a  period  of 
months,  or  for  the  year,  are  not  really  adequate;    but  these  result  not 

118 


from  the  rates,  but  from  slack  work  or  "lay-offs."  Raising  the  rates 
would  simply  add  to  the  trouble  and  make  the  "lay-offs"  more  frequent, 
because  it  would  make  it,  by  just  so  much,  harder,  even  than  now,  for 
the  manufacturer  to  get  the  orders. 

I  think  that  the  female  operatives  in  the  packing  room  are  perhaps 
receiving  a  low  wage,  at  least  proportionately,  and  I  think  the  same  may 
be  said  of  the  "table  work,"  so  called,  in  the  stitching  room.  I  award 
to  such  female  packing  room  employees  and  to  the  female  table  work 
employees  another  10  per  cent  of  their  respective  list  prices  and  weekly 
wages. 

I  award  no  other  advances. 


ti    I  have  taken  time  in  this  matter  and  examined  into  conditions  in 
"other  shoe  centers. 

I  want  the  Lynn  shoe  employees  generally  to  realize  that  they  are 
now,  to-day,  on  an  average,  paid  at  the  highest  rates  of  wages  of  any 
shoe  employees  in  the  United  States.  This  appears  from  all  the  evidence 
I  have  had. 

To  raise  these  rates  at  this  time  means,  in  my  judgment,  a  sure  ruin 
to  the  Lynn  industry  as  a  whole.  In  fact,  with  the  present  wage  lists  it 
is  only  when  the  demand  throughout  the  country  is  largely  on  the  so- 
called  "millinery"  lines  that  Lynn  can  hope  to  get  business. 

I  should  not  be  true  to  the  trust  which  has  been  so  loyally  given  to 
me  by  both  the  employees  and  the  employers  if  I  did  not  state  the  fact 
as  plainly  shown  by  all  the  evidence. 

Therefore,  as  the  "pending  prices,"  and  pending  prices  alone,  were 
submitted  to  me,  I  decide  that,  with  the  exceptions  above  stated,  I  can- 
not change  the  prices  (with  the  bonus)  now  in  effect.     Such  is  my  award. 


During  the  time  pending,  while  the  employees  were 
awaiting  the  decision  of  the  arbitrator,  they  continued  to 
work  under  the  original  agreement,  and  kept  this  up  during 
the  war;  and  although  two  judges  were  appealed  to  to 
modify  the  agreement,  both  of  them  sustained  the  original 
document. 

Indicative  of  the  harmonious  relation  established,  not- 
withstanding that  this  decision  was  in  direct  contradiction 
to  the  claims  of  the  employees,  is  the  following  statement 
issued  by  Mr.  Stephen  M.  Walsh,  general  secretary -treasurer 
of  the  United  Shoe  Workers  of  America :  — 

119 


The  decision  of  Henry  B.  Endicott  on  what  has  been  generally  known 
as  the  "pending  prices"  controversy  is  disappointing,  but  Lynn  shoe 
makers  generally  will  accept  the  decision  with  patience  and  philosophy, 
feeling  that  ultimately  some  relief  may  be  afforded  them  through  the 
agreement  that,  they  have  entered  into  with  the  Lynn  Shoe  Manufac- 
turers' Association. 

The  statement  of  Mr.  Endicott  accompanying  the  decision  is  a  general 
denunciation  of  the  chaotic  conditions  existing  in  the  industry,  and  is  a 
confirmation  of  the  claims  of  the  workers. 

We  have  at  all  times  been  ready  to  co-operate  with  representatives  of 
the  manufacturers  in  an  attempt  to  remedy  these  conditions,  and  if  the 
shoe  industry  is  to  grow  and  thrive  in  Lynn  these  conditions  must  be 
changed.  Shoe  workers  of  Lynn  will  abide  by  the  decision,  but  will  not 
cease  any  legitimate  effort  to  better  the  conditions  of  labor  and  to  increase 
the  earnings  of  shoe  workers. 

Mr.  Endicott  has  been  courteous,  painstaking  and  accommodating  in 
his  treatment  of  our  representatives.  We  regret  his  findings  but  bow  to 
his  decision. 

At  the  same  time  he  sent  the  following  letter  to  Mr. 
Endicott:  — 

February  7,  1918. 

Dear  Mr.  Endicott:  —  Please  find  attached  to  this  note,  statement 
issued  by  me  to  the  press  in  re  your  decision  on  the  "pending  prices" 
controversy.  I  have  nothing  to  add  to  this  statement  except  that  I 
wish  to  extend  to  you  my  personal  appreciation  for  the  many  kindnesses 
you  have  extended  during  the  period  of  controversy.  I  have  at  all  times 
found  you  willing  and  anxious  to  be  of  service  to  us  in  our  extremity. 

You  have  my  best  wishes  for  your  success  in  anything  you  undertake. 

The  importance  of  this  settlement,  and  the  assistance 
given  thereby  to  so  essential  an  industry  in  a  period  of 
great  emergency,  cannot  be  overstated. 

The  loyalty  with  which  both  sides  always  upheld  the 
decisions  of  Mr.  Endicott,  when  chosen  arbitrator,  was 
never  more  pointedly  shown  than  in  the  Lynn  shoe  strike, 
when,  after  careful  and  insistent  hearing  of  testimony, 
lasting  for  days,  he  found  that  the  laborers  —  15,000  of 
whom  were  awaiting  his  decision  —  received  higher  wages 
than  paid  elsewhere  for  the  same  work,  and  therefore  gave 
only  10  per  cent  increase  to  the  women,  and  to  the  men 

120 


nothing.  Notwithstanding  this  defeat  of  the  workmen  and 
their  leaders,  they  made  the  statement  to  him,  verbally 
and  in  writing,  that  they  were  satisfied  with  the  fairness 
of  his  decision.  This  showed,  on  their  part,  a  nice  perception 
of  just  treatment  which  no  one  could  fail  to  appreciate. 

VII.     Boston  Elevated  Carmen 

In  February,  1917,  a  certain  measure  of  financial  relief 
had  been  granted  by  a  special  commission  appointed  by 
the  Legislature  in  1916  to  consider  the  financial  condition 
of  the  Boston  Elevated  Railway  Company.  On  May  21, 
1917,  His  Excellencv  the  Governor  sent  a  communication 

•J 

to  the  Legislature  in  which  he  stated :  — 

It  was  undoubtedly  a  grave  condition  (the  condition  of  the  Elevated 
Road)  which  led  to  the  appointment  of  the  commission  a  year  ago,  and 
it  was  a  grave  condition  which  led  to  the  action  which  the  commission 
has  recommended.  The  substantial  elements  in  the  cost  of  transporta- 
tion upon  this  system  can  be  quickly  determined.  There  is  no  necessity 
for  an  inquiry  long  drawn  out  to  determine  the  cost  to  the  minute  fraction 
of  a  mill,  and  if  the  commission  is  equipped  with  full  authority  in  the 
premises  I  believe  they  will  take  seasonable  action,  and  action  which  will 
receive  the  public  approval.  The  maintenance  of  this  system  is  of  very 
great  public  importance.  It  has  a  body  of  highly  trained  employees  led 
by  a  man  who  is  recognized  throughout  the  country  as  one  of  the  fore- 
most men  in  his  calling.  It  gives  very  good  service  now;  it  should  be 
enabled  to  give  even  better  service  in  the  future,  and  I  believe  that  it 
will  be  able  to  do  that  under  the  efficient  management  which  it  now  has 
and  the  full  regulation  of  the  Public  Service  Commission. 


-&i 


The  gravity  of  the  predicament  in  which  the  Elevated 
Road  found  itself,  and  which  led  to  the  appointment  of  the 
commission  and  to  the  recommendations  it  gave,  together 
with  the  Governor's  letter,  prompted  the  Public  Service 
Commission,  June  15,  1917,  to  make  an  expert  investiga- 
tion, whose  subsequent  report,  February,  1918,  found  the 
property  to  be  properly  managed. 

Also,  previously,  in  1914,  a  board  of  arbitration  composed 
of  Messrs.  James  J.  Storrow,  James  H.  Vahev  and  James 

121 


L.  Richards  fixed  the  wages  of  the  employees  until  1916, 
when  the  new  agreement  was  made,  and  after  calling  atten- 
tion to  the  great  increase  in  invested  capital  as  compared 
with  gross  earnings,  said:  — 

This  policy,  if  continued,  is  going  to  send  the  company  to  the  poor- 
house,  and  it  is  also  going  to  render  it  impossible  for  the  company  to 
obtain  each  year  the  additional  capital  which  it  must  have  in  order  to 
supply  the  transportation  service  needed  by  the  people  of  this  com- 
munity. ...  It  will  be  unutterably  foolish  and  not  tend  to  better  traffic 
conditions,  but  lead  to  almost  irretrievable  injury,  if  this  process  of  over- 
loading the  company  is  not  stopped,  so  as  to  give  the  gross  earnings  of 
the  company  a  chance  to  catch  up  with  its  capitalization.  Thereafter, 
the  additional  yearly  burden  placed  upon  the  company  should  proceed  at 
a  rate  measured  in  proportion  to  the  possibilities  of  the  situation. 

Still  further,  on  April  15,  1917,  the  President  of  the 
United  States  stated :  — 

To  the  men  who  run  the  railways  of  the  country,  whether  they  be 
managers  or  operative  employees,  let  me  say  that  the  railways  are  the 
arteries  of  the  Nation's  life,  and  that  upon  them  rests  the  immense 
responsibility  of  seeing  to  it  that  those  arteries  suffer  no  obstruction  of 
any  kind,  no  inefficiency  or  slackened  power. 

On  February  '•24,  1918,  about  8,000  carmen  employed  by 
the  Boston  Elevated  Railway  Company  threatened  to  strike 
at  midnight,  February  25.  If  this  danger  had  not  been 
averted  the  entire  system  of  the  road  would  have  been 
tied  up  and  the  general  business  of  Massachusetts  menaced. 
The  demand  was  for  a  flat  increase  in  wages  of  4  cents  an 
hour.  The  men  were  already  working  under  an  agreement 
made  on  May  1,  1916,  to  extend  to  May  1,  1919,  and  it 
was  easily  recognized  that  on  its  face  this  contract  was  not 
to  be  modified  or  disregarded  in  any  part.  The  men  re- 
quested, however,  that  due  to  the  extraordinary  changes  in 
existing  conditions,  especially  the  difficulty  of  meeting  the 
high  cost  of  living,  they  should  be  allowed  a  special  extra 
compensation  of  4  cents.  After  a  conference  between  the 
representatives  of  the  men  and  the  president  of  the  com- 

122 


pany,  the  latter  suggested  that  he  would  be  willing  to  put 
out  the  demand  to  arbitration.  This  the  carmen  would  not 
at  first  agree  to.  Finally,  the  situation  became  so  acute  that 
a  Federal  mediator  was  sent  on  from  Washington  to  see 
what  could  be  done,  but  this  also  failed  to  bring  about  any 
settlement  between  the  parties. 

On  February  25,  1918,  the  situation  became  so  serious 
that  Governor  McCall  was  appealed  to,  and  at  his  suggestion 
the  men  agreed  to  postpone  the  strike  for  seventy-two 
hours. 

His  Excellency  wrote  to  both  employer  and  employees, 
'suggesting  the  advisability  of  consulting  Mr.  Endicott  in 
the  premises.  As  a  result,  the  parties  in  dispute  met  in 
conference  with  Mr.  Endicott,  and  the  demands  of  the 
workmen  and  the  interests  of  the  road  were  fully  discussed. 
It  was  realized  on  both  sides  that  in  regard  to  the  carmen's 
request  for  an  increase  in  wages,  the  directors  had  no  inherent 
right  to  add  anything  to  their  present  expenses;  nor,  on 
the  other  hand,  under  the  existing  agreement,  did  the  men 
have  the  right  to  demand  additional  compensation  any 
more  than  the  road  had  to  grant  it.  But  both  parties, 
recognizing  the  fact  that  the  present  conditions  neither 
existed  nor  were  anticipated  in  1916,  when  the  agreement 
was  made,  and  that  everything  ought  to  be  done  to  ensure 
the  best  possible  service  to  the  public,  agreed  to  place  their 
respective  claims  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Endicott,  with  a 
request  that  he  make  a  recommendation,  which  they  prom- 
ised to  carry  out  if  within  their  power  to  do  so. 

With  a  full  appreciation  of  the  financial  condition  of  the 
road,  Mr.  Endicott  believed  it  both  just  and  imperatively 
demanded  in  the  interest  of  the  service  that  some  recognition 
should  be  made  of  the  increased  cost  of  living,  and  recom- 
mended that  the  men  be  paid  a  special  extra  compensation 
during  the  life  of  the  existing  agreement,  that  is,  until  May 
1,  1919,  at  a  rate  of  2  cents  per  hour  flat  increase  over  their 
present  wage.    This  was  much  less  than  their  demands. 

At  the  same  time  he  expressed  the  further  opinion  that 

123 


the  expenses  of  the  road  other  than  wages  having  increased 
out  of  all  proportion  to  its  income,  it  was  unable  to  earn  a 
fair  return  on  its  investment,  or  even  to  cover  its  fixed 
charges,  and  therefore  it  was  imperative  that  the  company 
should  have  immediate  financial  relief  in  order  to  render  to 
the  public  that  character  of  service  to  which  it  was  entitled. 
In  his  findings  Mr.  Endicott  said:  — 

In  the  course  of  the  conference  it  appeared  that  under  the  present 
!)  in-11  law  the  agreement  of  the  men  restricts  the  company  from  putting 
more  than  30  per  cent  of  its  schedule  runs  outside  of  the  eleven  outside 
hours;  that  is,  that  the  company  is  restricted  from  laying  out  more  than 
30  per  cent  of  the  schedule  runs  in  such  a  way  as  to  cover  the  two  rush- 
hour  periods.  The  question  of  modifying  this  in  order  that  the  company 
might  have  available  during  the  morning  rush  hours  and  the  afternoon 
rush  hours,  but  not  for  a  platform  period  of  longer  than  nine  hours,  sub- 
stantially all  the  regular  men  on  the  road,  was  thoroughly  discussed,  and 
it  was  admitted  by  the  union  officials  that  there  was  much  merit  in  the 
request  of  the  company  in  this  respect,  due  to  the  fact  that  there  is  abso- 
lutely no  question  that  it  is  difficult  to-day  to  get  the  proper  type  of  men 
in  sufficient  numbers  to  perform  duties  of  street  railway  employees  and 
to  maintain  the  high  standard  which  has  always  existed  on  the  road. 
The  union  officials  felt,  however,  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  endeavor  to 
modify  the  terms  of  the  agreement  in  this  regard,  but  stated  to  me, 
without  any  reservation  whatever,  that  in  their  full  appreciation  of  this 
condition  they  intended,  both  through  their  international  organization 
and  local  organization,  to  call  strongly  to  the  attention  of  their  member- 
ship the  necessity  of  accepting  work  at  such  time  in  order  to  provide  the 
necessary  service  for  the  public,  and  so  that  the  men  may  do  their  share 
towards  helping  bear  the  unusual  burdens  incurred.  I  am  satisfied  that 
the  company  in  its  endeavor  to  secure  sufficient  help  to  furnish  the  neces- 
sary service  to  the  public  has  gone  as  far  as  is  consistent  or  wise  in  remov- 
ing the  restrictions  and  reducing  the  qualifications  necessary  for  employ- 
ment, and  I  am  convinced  in  my  own  mind  that  the  condition  which 
prevails  elsewhere  in  this  country  and  abroad,  due  to  the  tremendous 
demand  for  efficient  men  directly  or  indirectly  involved  in  war  activities, 
wi'l,  unless  the  present  employees  of  the  company  endeavor  to  cover 
the  two  rush-hour  periods,  make  it  necessary  to  employ  women  as  con- 
ductors and  in  other  capacities. 

A I  a  massjmeeting  of  the  carmen  held  in  Tremont  Temple 
on  February ^L28,  the  general  officers  and  members  of  the 

124 


executive  board  of  Division  No.  589,  Boston  Carmen's 
Union,  —  having  already  signed  a  statement  expressing  their 
readiness  to  preserve  without  change  the  agreement  made 
in  1916,  —  recommended  in  a  written  statement  that  the 
men  accept  2  cents  an  hour  flat  increase  over  their  present 
wages  for  time  allowed,  until  May  1,  1919,  at  which  date 
the  three  years  would  have  elapsed,  saying  in  part:  — 

It  is  our  unanimous  judgment  that  our  duty  to  our  country  as  well  as 
to  our  members  requires  us  to  tell  our  membership  that  it  is  the  patriotic 
duty  of  us  all  to  accept  Mr.  Endicott's  recommendation. 

President  Brush  has  shown  a  commendable  spirit  of  fairness  and 
•courtesy  in  his  dealings  with  us,  and  we  hope  our  members  will  appre- 
ciate the  attitude  of  both  President  Brush  and  the  company. 

We  want  to  express  our  deep  sense  of  gratitude  to  the  Governor,  Mr. 
Endicott  and  Mr.  Stevens  for  the  splendid  service  they  have  rendered 
in  this  crisis. 

This  recommendation  was  accepted  by  the  employees 
by  a  unanimous  vote,  and  the  threatened  strike,  which,  if 
it  had  taken  place,  would  have  thrown  8,500  carmen  out  of 
employment,  was  entirely  averted  without  a  single  employee 
leaving  his  post. 

VIII.     Street  Railways  operated  in  Worcester,  Spring- 
field,  Attleboro  and  Surrounding  Towns 

On  May  21,  1918,  the  two-year  agreement  between  the 
Springfield  Street  Railway  Company,  the  Worcester  Con- 
solidated Street  Railwav,  the  Milford,  Attleboro  &  Woon- 
socket  Street  Railway  Company,  the  Interstate  Consoli- 
dated Street  Railwav,  and  the  Attleboro  Branch  Railwav 
and  their  employees  terminated,  and  both  parties  desired 
to  extend  it  for  the  term  of  one  year  with  certain  modifica- 
tions. Conferences  were  held  between  the  officials  of  the 
companies  and  the  representatives  of  the  men,  and  no 
decision  being  arrived  at,  Mr.  Endicott  at  their  joint  recuiest 
consented  to  arbitrate  the  dispute.  During  the  hearings 
before  the  arbitrator,  both  sides  agreed  to  certain  proposi- 

125 


lions  involving  payments  to  extra  and  spare  conductors 
and  motormen  with  limited  hours  of  labor,  which  were 
later  confirmed  in  the  decision. 

Among  other  matters  adjudicated,  the  arbitrator,  in  a 
long  and  technical  decision,  made  the  following  specific 
points:  — 

1.  That  conductors  should  be  compensated  for  extra  work  in  making 
out  reports  of  zone  face  collections,  with  special  conditions  and  limita- 
tions, wherever  there  was  no  time  to  do  so  within  the  nine  hours  of  the 
working  day.  This  was  coupled  with  the  understanding  that  where 
tickets  were  issued,  simplifying  or  reducing  the  work  of  conductors  on 
certain  divisions,  such  reduction  should  be  a  basis  for  reducing  the 
allowance  given,  proportionally  to  the  reduction  of  the  conductor's  work 
on  such  division. 

2.  In  consideration  of  the  constant  increase  in  the  cost  of  living,  and 
the  pay  of  men  in  similar  industries  in  Massachusetts,  43  cents  per  hour 
was  held  to  be  a  fair  rate,  and  should  be  the  rate  of  wages  for  the  fourth 
and  subsequent  year  of  employment  after  June  1,  1918,  for  the  employees 

of  the  Worcester  Consolidated  Street  Railway  Company. 

Cents. 
The  rate  for  the  third  year  of  employment,  .  .  .  .  '■  .41 

The  rate  for  the  second  year  of  employment,       .  .  .  .  .  .40 

The  rate  for  the  second  six  months  of  employment,     .....     38| 

The  rate  for  the  first  six  months  of  employment,  .  .  .  .  .37 

3.  As  for  the  employees  of  the  Springfield  Street  Railway,  for  the 
fourth  and  subsequent  year,  $3.87  per  day  was  held  to  be  a  fair  daily 
wage;  and  at  the  same  rate  for  the  junior  grades,  the  increase  would  be 
as  follows:  — 

For  the  third  year $3  G9 

For  the  second  year,     .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .  3  60 

For  the  second  six  months,    .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .  3  46 

For  the  first  six  months,         .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .  3  33 

Also  that  the  hourly  wage  for  the  Milford,  Attleboro  and  Woonsocket 
Street  Railway  Company,  the  Interstate  Consolidated  Street  Railway 
Company,-  and  the  Attleboro  Branch  Railway  Company  should  be  the 
same  as  that  fixed  for  the  Worcester  Consolidated  Street  Railway  Com- 
pany. 

4.  That  the  overtime  paid  for  extra  work  to  conductors,  messengers 
and  motormen  should  not  be  changed  on  any  of  the  roads. 

5.  Requests  that  every  car  should  be  operated  by  a  crew  consisting  of 

126 


a  conductor,  motorman  and  messenger,  and  that  all  transportation  of 
mail  be  confined  to  mail  cars  exclusively,  were  both  refused. 

6.  That  the  allowance  for  meal  tickets  be  raised  from  50  to  60  cents. 

7.  That  a  change  from  a  nine-hour  day  to  an  eight-hour  day  was  at 
that  time  inadvisable,  inasmuch  as  it  would  necessitate  a  complete  reor- 
ganization of  the  street  railway's  business,  and,  coming  at  a  critical 
moment  in  its  financial  affairs,  involve  a  burden  not  justified  in  the 
interest  of  either  the  company  or  the  public. 

8.  That  a  definite  zone  should  be  established  by  which  traveling  time 
should  be  allowed  to  trackmen  whose  work  was  more  than  one  mile 
distant  from  the  car  barn. 

9.  The  demand  that  seven-day  men  should  be  paid  time  and  one- 
half  for  Sunday  and  holiday  work,  instead  of  straight  time,  was  refused, 
op.  the  ground  that  the  demand  was  really  one  for  additional  pay  and  not 
for  shorter  hours,  their  established  wage  being  on  the  proposition  that 
they  work  seven  days  a  week  and  share  with  the  other  employees  in  a 
general  advance  in  wages  under  the  award.  A  further  reason  was  that 
it  would  necessitate  a  complete  reorganization  of  the  company's  business, 
and  involve  a  burden  not  justifiable  to  either  the  company  or  the  public. 
When  employees  were  called  upon  to  do  emergency  work  on  Sundays 
and  holidays,  a  minimum  of  one  day's  pay  was  allowed  if  the  hours  com- 
puted on  Sunday  and  holiday  rates  did  not  amount  to  one  day. 

10.  No  preference  should  be  given  on  seniority  basis  in  the  track 
department. 

11.  The  demand  that  if  during  the  period  covered  by  the  award  a 
shorter  working  day  was  granted  to  men  in  any  department,  this  allow- 
ance should  apply  to  all  men  working  at  the  same  kind  of  work  in  such 
department,  was  refused  on  the  ground  that  this  was  not  a  time  to  attempt 
readjusting  the  working  hours;  that  the  scarcity  of  men  might  require 
a  general  nine-hour  clay  in  certain  departments,  and  that  it  was  not  wise 
to  discourage  uniformity  where  that  was  practicable;  in  short,  that  the 
whole  question  was  one  that  ought  to  be  worked  out  between  the  men 
and  the  company,  and  not  a  matter  in  which  the  arbitrator's  award 
could  be  helpful. 

12.  It  appearing  from  the  evidence  that  the  wages  of  the  miscellaneous 
employees  had  been  based  on  no  uniform  system,  they  should  receive  an 
advance  in  pay  of  24^  per  cent  over  their  present  wage. 

13.  The  demand  that  if  during  the  period  covered  by  the  award  a 
higher  wage  is  paid  to  new  men  entering  any  department,  or  a  voluntary 
increase  granted,  the  same  should  apply  to  men  in  the  same  department 
doing  the  same  kind  of  work,  was  refused  on  the  ground  that  in  order  to 
secure  temporary  help  it  was  often  necessary  in  an  emergency  to  pay  a 
higher  rate  than  that  received  by  permanent  men. 

14.  The  demand  that  the  five  minutes  allowed  to  shop  men  and  barn 

127 


men  to  wash  before  going  to  meals  and  before  their  relieving  time  at  the 
end  of  the  day's  work  be  increased  to  ten  minutes  was  refused. 

13.  The  demand  that  the  present  system  respecting  the  transporta- 
tion of  employees  in  Springfield  should  apply  to  all  roads  mentioned  was 
refused. 

16.  The  demand  that  when  an  employee  was  required  to  make  out  an 
accident  report  on  his  own  time  he  should  be  paid  10  cents  for  each 
report  was  refused. 

17.  The  request  of  ten  minutes'  time  allowance  to  car  crews  for  taking 
out  and  putting  up  cars,  and  that  the  schedules  be  arranged  so  that  the 
full  running  time  should  be  allowed  the  first  trips  in  the  morning  and 
the  last  trips  at  night,  was  refused  on  the  ground  that  in  consideration 
of  the  advance  in  wages  this  demaud  if  granted  would  work  an  undue 
hardship  upon  the  company. 

18.  The  demand  that  Sunday  and  holiday  runs  should  be  scheduled 
so  that  the  maximum  for  a  day's  work  be  completed  inside  of  ten  con- 
secutive hours,  and  that  night  cars  operating  between  midnight  and 
6  a.m.  should  receive  one  day's  pay,  were  both  refused  as  at  present 
unwise  and  involving  readjustment  of  service  and  w^ages. 

Subject  to  the  modifications  above  given,  the  original 
agreement  was  extended  until  June  1,  1919. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  point  out  how  serious  a  menace 
to  the  transportation  interests  of  the  State,  and  all  thereby 
involved,  was  removed  by  this  arbitration. 


IX.     Telephone  Operators  outside   Metropolitan 

Boston 

On  March  2,  1918,  a  strike  was  threatened  by  the  tele- 
phone operators  in  different  cities  throughout  the  New 
England  States,  the  result  of  which,  if  it  had  taken  place, 
would  have  paralyzed  the  whole  system  of  telephone  com- 
munication and  most  seriously  interfered  not  only  with 
regular  business,  but  with  all  the  war  work  in  which  the 
State  of  Massachusetts  was  engaged. 

The  question  in  dispute  was  the  classification  of  the 
exchanges  in  some  fourteen  cities  outside  of  metropolitan 
Boston,  together  with  the  subject  of  wage  increase  in  all 
other  exchanges,  not  only  in  Massachusetts  but  in  Maine, 

128 


New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  and  involved  from  4,000  to 
5,000  employees,  mostly  women.  Added  to  this  was  the 
reclassification  of  the  exchanges  in  Fitchburg  and  Taunton, 
Mass.,  and  of  those  in  Bangor  and  Lewiston,  Me.  A  com- 
promise had  been  offered  by  the  company,  but  rejected. 
A  poll  of  the  operators  had  also  been  taken,  and  about 
3,500  votes  were  cast  in  favor  of  a  strike.  The  situation 
had  been  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  State  Board  of 
Conciliation  and  Arbitration  by  a  committee  appointed  to 
represent  seventeen  locals  of  the  Telephone  Operators' 
Unions  throughout  New  England,  without  any  immediate 
Result  being  accomplished. 

On  March  5  a  telegram  was  received  from  the  Navy 
Department  requesting  Mr.  Endicott  to  use  his  good  offices 
in  ending  the  disagreement,  on  the  especial  ground  that 
the  "transaction  of  navy  work  in  many  localities  requires 
continuous  service  of  telephones."  On  the  same  day  a 
similar  telegram  was  received  by  him  from  the  Secretary 
of  War,  stating  that  "any  interruption  of  telephone  service 
would  result  in  a  most  serious  consequence  in  the  execution 
of  this  Department's  war  program,"  and  requesting  him 
to  take  such  steps  as  he  deemed  appropriate  to  bring  about 
an  immediate  adjustment. 

Several  conferences  were  held  at  Mr.  Endicott's  office 
between  the  officials  of  the  company  and  the  representatives 
of  the  Telephone  Operators'  Union.  On  March  6  an  agree- 
ment was  reached  establishing  the  following  schedules  of 
wages,  which  were  to  remain  in  effect  for  at  least  a  year, 
with  the  added  provision  that  during  the  continuance  of 
the  war  all  further  questions  of  wage  differences  which 
could  not  be  settled  between  the  parties  should  be  adjusted 
by  arbitration :  — 

Schedule  A  A.  —  During  training  period,  $5;  on  assignment  as  operator, 
$6;  at  end  of  three  months,  $7;  six  months,  $8;  nine  months,  $9;  one 
year,  $10;  one  and  one-half  years,  $10.50;  two  years,  $11;  three  years, 
$12;    four  years,  $13;    five  years,  $14;    six  years,  $15;    seven  years,  $16. 

Schedule  A.  —  During  training  period,  $5;    on  assignment  as  operator, 

129 


$6;  at  end  of  three  months,  $7;  six  months,  $8;  nine  months,  $8.50; 
one  year,  $9;  one  and  one-half  years,  $9. .50;  two  years,  $10;  two  and 
one-half  years.  $10.50;  three  years,  $11;  three  and  one-half  years,  $11.50; 
four  years,  $12;   five  years,  $12.50;  six  years,  $13.50;  seven  years,  $14.50. 

Schedule  />'.  -  During  training  period,  $4;  on  assignment  as  operator, 
$6;  at  end  of  three  months,  $7;  end  of  six  months,  $8;  nine  months, 
$8.50;  one  year,  $9;  two  years,  $10;  three  years,  $11;  four  years,  $12; 
five  years.  $12.50;    six  years,  $13;    seven  years,  $13.75. 

Schedule  ('.  -  During  training  period,  $4;  on  assignment  as  operator, 
$6;  end  of  three  months,  $6.50;  six  months,  $7.50;  nine  months,  $8;  one 
year.  $8.50;  one  and  one-half  years,  $9;  two  years,  $10;  three  years, 
$11;    four  years,  $11.50;   five  years,  $12;    six  years,  $13. 

Schedule  D.  —  During  training  period,  $4;  assignment  as  operator, 
$6;  end  of  three  months,  $6.50;  end  of  six  months,  $7.50;  nine  months, 
$8;  one  year,  $8.50;  two  years,  $9.50;  three  years,  $10;  four  years, 
$10.50;   five  years,  $11;    six  years,  $12. 

Schedule  E.  —  During  training  period,  $4;  on  assignment  as  operator, 
$6;  end  of  three  months,  $6.50;  six  months,  $7;  nine  months,  $8;  one 
year,  $8.50;  two  years,  $9;  three  years,  $9.50;  four  years,  $10;  five 
years.  $11. 

Schedules  AA  and  A  to  be  effective  from  the  first  day  of  the  first  week 
of  February,  1918;  other  schedules  to  be  effective  from  the  first  day  of 
the  first  week  in  March,  1918. 

Both  parties,  in  a  statement  signed  by  their  representa- 
tives, expressed  their  appreciation  of  the  services  rendered, 
recognizing  them  as  prompted  by  a  spirit  of  patriotic  public 
interest  and  conducted  in  a  manner  requiring  public  acknowl- 
edgment. 

On  the  question  of  classification  the  existing  conditions 
were  allowed  to  remain. 

In  this  connection  it  might  be  said  that  two  or  three 
months  previously  a  somewhat  similar  controversy  between 
the  New  England  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company  and 
its  Boston  operators  was  settled  in  conference,  in  accordance 
with  I  lie  suggestions  offered  by  Mr.  Endicott,  satisfactorily 
to  both  sides,  although  as  in  previous  cases  a  mediator  had 
previously  been  sent  by  the  government  to  look  into  the 
situation,  but  without  avail. 


130 


X.     Coal  Teamsters  of  Boston  and  Vicinity 

About  the  1st  of  October,  1917,  members  of  the  Coal 
Teamsters,  Chauffeurs'  and  Wharfmen's  Union  presented 
new  demands  to  certain  coal  dealers  in  Boston  and  vicinity, 
in  substance  calling  for  an  increase  of  $3  a  week  in  wages,  a 
nine-hour  working  day,  double  time  on  Sundays  and  holi- 
days, with  Saturday  afternoon  off  from  April  1  to  October  1. 
The  question  being  left  to  Mr.  Endicott,  after  a  conference 
of  both  sides  he  awarded  the  men  an  increase  of  $2  per 
week. 

On  May  15,  1918,  the  matter  again  came  up,  and  after 
certain  issues  between  the  parties  had  been  settled  by  agree- 
ment, Mr.  Endicott,  having  been  appointed  arbitrator  by 
both  sides,  rendered  a  decision,  the  chief  points  of  which 
were  as  follows :  — 

That  the  work  of  teamsters,  chauffeurs  and  wharfmen  in  the  coal 
business  did  not  require  the  steady  application  usually  found  in  trades 
which  are  limited  to  an  eight-hour  day;  nor  did  such  work  make  a  constant, 
unremitting  demand  upon  either  the  minds  or  the  bodies  of  the  men;  and, 
taking  into  consideration  the  condition  of  the  industrial  world  and  the 
withdrawal  from  it  of  so  many  men  for  military  service,  it  was  not  advis- 
able to  shorten  the  nine-hour  day  at  that  time  existing. 

That  overtime  should  begin  at  5.30  p.m.  instead  of  5A5  p.m. 

The  rate  of  wages  in  force,  that  offered  by  the  coal  dealers,  and  that 
requested  by  the  men,  as  well  as  the  rate  established  by  Mr.  Endicott, 
are  shown  in  the  following  table :  — 


Occupation 

Rate  now 
in  Force 

(Per  Week) 

Offered  by 
Employers 
(Per  Week) 

Demanded 

by  Men 
(Per  Week) 

Established 

by  Mr. 

Endicott 

(Per  Week) 

One-horse  teamsters,  .... 

818 

$20 

$21 

S21 

Two-horse  teamsters 

19 

21 

22 

22 

Three-horse  teamsters, 

21 

23 

24 

24 

Wharfmen, 

18 

20 

22 

21 

Electric  truck  chauffeurs,    . 

20 

22 

25 

23 

Gas  truck  chauffeurs, 

22 

24 

*  25 

24 

This  scale  was  established  by  a  comparison  of  wages  existing  in  like 
employment. 

131 


Saturday  Half  Holidays 

The  demand  that  the  existing  half  holiday,  during  the  six  months 
from  April  1  to  October  1,  be  changed  to  12  o'clock  at  noon  on  Saturday 
throughout  the  year  was  denied. 

Employees  when  called  upon  to  work  on  a  holiday  should  receive 
double  their  regular  pay. 

It  was  further  decided  that  the  new  wage  should  not  be 
retroactive,  beginning  May  1,  1918,  as  demanded  by  the 
men,  but  should  take  effect  at  the  time  when  the  new  agree- 
ment embodying  this  scale  should  be  in  force,  viz.,  from 
May  15,  1918,  and  be  operative  until  May  1,  1919. 

The  issues  involved  in  this  strike  were  very  far-reaching. 
Given  the  severest  winter  in  the  history  of  the  Nation,  with 
the  urgent  demands  of  the  navy  and  government  ships, 
together  with  the  requirements  of  the  ammunition  plants 
and  factories  engaged  in  war  work,  a  few  days'  delay  would 
have  paralyzed  the  efficiency  necessary  in  a  great  emer- 
gency. It  is  vastly  to  the  credit  of  our  working  men  and 
the  dealers  that  in  the  movement  and  transportation  of 
coal  during  the  whole  period  of  the  war  emergency  not  one 
day's  time  was  lost  on  account  of  labor  troubles. 

XI.    Lowell  Textile  Mills 

On  May  28,  1918,  the  employees  in  the  Merrimac,  Boott, 
Massachusetts,  Hamilton,  Appleton,  Tremont  and  Suffolk 
mills  in  Lowell,  through  their  representatives,  made  a  de- 
mand on  the  owners  for  an  increase  in  wages  of  15  per  cent, 
said  increase  to  go  into  effect  on  June  17,  1918.  The  Man- 
chester, N.  H.,  and  the  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  mills  also  were 
indirectly  involved.  In  response  to  this  request  a  general 
increase  in  wages  was  made  of  10  per  cent,  and  this  not 
being  satisfactory  to  the  employees,  a  strike  followed.  This 
strike  involved  about  15,000  hands,  composed  principally  of 
loomfixers  and  slasher  tenders,  and  indirectly  their  going 
out  affected  the  wThole  mill  industry  in  Massachusetts,  com- 
prising about  350,000  hands.    The  result  was  an  immediate 

132 


and  serious  menace  to  the  government,  which  was  in  great 
need  of  cloth  for  our  soldiers  and  sailors,  and  largely  depend- 
ent on  the  ability  of  these  manufacturers  to  supply  the  same. 

On  July  3  Mr.  Endicott  received  a  telegram  from  Mr. 
Baker,  Secretary  of  War,  asking  him  to  use  his  good  offices 
towards  reconciling  the  contentions  in  these  mills,  "in  order 
that  the  soldiers  who  are  so  rapidly  being  sent  to  France 
shall  be  adequately  equipped.  It  is  vital  that  maximum 
production  in  New  England  textile  mills  be  resumed  at  the 
earliest  possible  date." 

In  pursuance  of  a  request  from  both  the  parties  in  interest, 
Mr.  Endicott  consented  to  arbitrate  the  contention  between 
them,  each  side  agreeing  to  abide  by  whatever  decision  he 
made.  After  a  conference  called  in  Lowell  on  July  5,  which 
lasted  several  hours,  an  award  was  rendered  that,  consider- 
ing the  cost  of  living,  it  was  only  reasonable  that  the  wages 
of  the  employees  in  these  mills  should  be  fixed  at  an  amount 
equal  to  15  per  cent  above  that  which  they  had  been  paid 
prior  to  June  17,  1918.    In  his  opinion,  Mr.  Endicott  said:  — 

What  is  of  far  greater  importance  in  this  critical  moment  of  the  history 
of  our  country  than  any  exact  determination  of  a  wage  scale  is  the  assur- 
ance that  in  the  future  there  shall  be  absolutely  no  interruption  in  the 
production  of  the  textile  mills  of  Lowell  as  long  as  the  war  shall  last.  This 
is  of  equal  and  fundamental  importance  both  to  the  mill  owners  and  to 
their  employees.  It  is  also  vital  in  order  that  the  men  who  are  fighting 
for  our  safety  may  be  properly  clothed  and  equipped. 

Therefore  it  is  with  the  deepest  satisfaction  that  I  here  record  the 
solemn  agreement  entered  into  to-night  before  witnesses  by  all  parties  at 
the  hearing,  on  behalf  of  themselves  and  of  all  persons  and  organizations 
whom  they  represent,  that  they  and  their  respective  organizations  and 
associates,  in  order  to  ensure  continuity  of  production  to  the  capacity 
of  the  mills  throughout  the  war,  will  submit  any  future  questions  or 
issue  between  the  mills,  or  any  of  them,  and  their  employees  to  the 
United  States  War  Labor  Board,  and  if  that  body  is  not  in  existence  to 
some  equally  responsible  tribunal  to  be  agreed  upon  between  them  at 
the  time;  and  that  in  no  event  shall  there  be  cessation  of  work  either 
pending  the  decision  of  that  Board  or  as  the  result  of  its  action.  In 
other  words,  it  is  now  impossible  that  hereafter,  as  long  as  the  war  shall 
last,  there  shall  be  a  lockout  or  strike  in  any  textile  mill  in  Lowell. 

133 


After  the  decision  was  read  a  unanimous  vote  was  passed 
}>y  both  parties  thanking  Mr.  Endicott  for  his  services,  and 
in  accordance  with  the  original  agreement  the  men  went  at 
once  to  work  the  next  morning. 

XII.    American  Woolen  Company  Mills 

About  the  first  of  July,  1918,  the  Wood,  Washington  and 
Aver  mills  of  the  American  Woolen  Company,  employing 
about  15,000  hands  and  turning  out  daily  approximately 
50,000  yards  of  cloth  for  the  government,  were  involved  in 
a  controversy  affecting  the  weavers,  in  number  about  1,800, 
and  the  latter  went  on  strike,  thus  directly  involving  the 
labor  of  all  the  remaining  employees. 

The  weavers  sought  the  abolition  of  the  premium  system 
in  force  at  the  mills,  and  the  substitution  therefor  of  a  per- 
centage of  the  standard  wage  sufficient  to  put  their  regular 
weekly  wage  on  a  par  with  what  they  were  already  receiving 
with  the  premium;  that  is,  the  elimination  of  the  previous 
system,  and  in  its  place  an  increase  of  55  per  cent  in  wage. 
The  company  took  the  position  that  the  weavers,  in  addition 
to  their  regular  weekly  wage,  were  receiving  under  the 
premium  system  a  bonus  which  averaged  about  44  per  cent. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  men  contended  that  the  premium 
system  caused  much  friction,  and  that  the  wTay  it  worked 
out  was  not  satisfactory  from  the  standpoint  of  either  em- 
ployer or  employees;  moreover,  that  the  latter  in  many 
instances  felt  that  they  received  much  less  in  their  envelopes 
on  Saturday  night  than  they  had  a  right  to  expect  and 
were  entitled  to.  The  weavers  also  demanded  that  when 
weaving  on  82  and  72  inch  looms,  the  prices  paid  them  for 
the  cloth  woven  on  the  smaller  looms  should  be  the  same  as 
for  that  woven  on  the  larger  looms. 

On  July  8  Mr.  Endicott  received  the  following  tele- 
gram :  — 


13-i 


\V  \sIII.VGTON,    D.    <  '. 

H.  B.  Endicott,  Executive  Manager,   Committee  of  Public  Safety,   State 

House,  Boston,  Mass. 

Cessation  of  production  in  mills  of  American  Woolen  Company  at 
Lawrence  of  serious  import  to  program  for  furnishing  supplies  to  troops. 
May  I  request  you  to  take  such  steps  as  seem  to  you  desirable  looking 
toward  the  earliest  possible  return  to  work  on  the  part  of  strikers  and 
the  settlement  of  the  dispute  on  the  most  permanent  basis  possible. 

Newton  D.  Barer, 
Secretary  of  War. 

At  the   request  of   both   parties   Mr.   Endicott   went   to 

^Lawrence,  where  the  questions  at  issue  were  exhaustively 

ugone  into;  and  on  July  9  the  following  agreement,  drafted  by 

Mr.  Endicott,  was  signed  by  Mr.  Wood  as  president  of  the 

company,   and   a  committee  of  fourteen  in  behalf  of   the 

men :  — 

First.  —  The  company  shall  forthwith  abolish  the  system  of  payment 
by  premium  winch  has  heretofore  been  in  force  in  the  weaving  depart- 
ment of  the  three  mills  above  named. 

Seco?id.  —  The  company  shall  forthwith  pay  to  its  weavers,  in  addition 
to  the  price  list  now  in  force,  a  further  wage  equal  to  50  per  cent  on  the 
present  price  list. 

Third.  —  When  government  work  of  the  same  class  is  being  woven  on 
S^-ineh  and  72-inch  looms,  both  of  which  are  tended  by  the  same  man, 
the  price  for  the  cloth  woven  on  the  small  loom  shall  be  the  same  as  the 
price  paid  for  the  cloth  woven  on  the  large  loom. 

Fourth.  —  The  weavers  shall  return  to  work  immediately,  or  not  later 
than  Thursday  morning,  July  11,  at  the  usual  opening  hour  of  the  mills, 
and  shall  use  their  best  effort  to  serve  the  company  loyally  and  maintain 
continuity  of  production  to  the  capacity  of  the  mills. 

Fifth.  —  The  company  shall  receive  all  weavers  of  the  mills  above 
named  without  any  discrimination  because  of  any  absence  from  work 
during  the  past  week  or  service  on  any  committee. 

Sixth.  —  All  future  issues  between  the  company  and  the  weavers  at 
the  mills  above  named  which  may  occur  during  the  continuance  of  the 
war  shall  be  referred  for  settlement  to  the  Secretary  of  War  of  the  United 
States,  and  no  lockout  and  no  strike  shall  be  declared  by  the  company 
or  by  any  weavers  pending  the  decision,  or  as  the  result  of  his  action. 


135 


This  award  might  have  given  rise  to  captious  criticism,  on 
the  ground  that  under  its  ruling  the  inefficient  workmen 
received  the  same  pay  as  the  efficient  men,  and  that  thus 
the  incentive  was  removed  to  do  good  w^ork  and  to  increase 
the  production.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  entire 
work  done  at  Lawrence  was  on  a  piece  basis,  and  that  this 
was  the  only  real  question  in  the  entire  controversy.  This 
so-called  premium  or  bonus  system  had  been  the  cause  of 
friction  for  several  years.  It  might  be  wTell,  therefore,  to 
explain  the  arbitrator's  reasoning  on  so  technical  a  question. 
As  gathered  from  letters  and  statements  made  by  him  at 
the  time  and  since,  investigations  showed  that  the  working 
of  the  premium  system  wras  unsatisfactory  to  both  employer 
and  employee,  and  that  time  and  time  again  it  happened 
that  the  employee,  according  to  his  way  of  figuring,  believed 
that  he  was  entitled  to  considerable  more  compensation 
than  his  envelope  showed  on  Saturday  night.  Moreover,  to 
figure  the  correct  bonus  in  any  given  case  and  obtain  an 
accurate  result  required  something  more  than  average  intelli- 
gence. If  the  employee  did  not  find  in  his  envelope  what  in 
his  judgment  w7as  his  due,  he  became  dissatisfied.  It  there- 
fore appeared  wiser  that  all  premiums  and  bonuses  should 
be  abolished,  and  that  a  man  should  know  accurately  what 
he  was  to  receive  on  Saturday  night,  provided  he  had  done 
a  full  week's  work. 

Moreover,  the  premium  system  might  easily  work  a  dis- 
tinct injustice  to  the  weaver,  who  considered  it  as  part  of 
his  regular  wrage,  since,  should  he  be  injured,  his  compensa- 
tion was  based  on  the  regular  scale  of  wages  without  the 
premium,  and  the  accident  insurance  which  he  received  was 
adjusted  on  the  basic  wage  and  not  on  the  total  amount 
which  lie  earned. 

Again,  a  first-class  weaver  might  work  industriously  the 
greater  part  of  the  week,  and  yet,  because  of  a  break  in  his 
machine,  not  due  to  any  fault  of  his  own,  the  output  from 
his  loom  might  be  insufficient  to  entitle  him  to  any  premium. 
He  would  therefore  lose  not  only  the  time  that  his  machine 

13C 


was  idle,  but  also   the  bonus  which   he  had  deserved  for 
steady  work  throughout  the  remainder  of  the  week. 

Under  Mr.  Endicott's  award  the  weavers  received  a 
definite  wage  per  yard  for  every  yard  woven.  This  at  once 
naturally  gave  every  incentive  for  a  man  to  weave  the  last 
yard  possible,  and  it  was  to  be  expected  that  the  production 
of  a  mill  would  be  greatly  stimulated  under  the  straight 
piece-price  proposition.  The  mills  would  know  their  exact 
cost  of  production,  and  the  men  would  know  perfectly  what 
was  coming  to  them,  and  the  amount  thereof  would  be 
dependent  entirely  on  their  own  industry  and  efficiency. 
tilt  was  somewhat  ludicrous  to  hear  intelligent  men  say 
that  anybody  could  settle  the  differences  between  capital 
and  labor  if  the  employer  was  bound  in  advance  to  accept 
the  award  and  labor  was  then  granted  all  that  it  asked. 
In  this  connection  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  employers 
have  generally  realized  the  necessity  of  meeting  the  high 
cost  of  living  with  increased  wages,  and  that  in  all  the 
strikes  with  which  Mr.  Endicott  had  anything  to  do,  he 
made  it  an  absolute  rule  -  -  departed  from  in  but  two  cases 
of  great  exigency  —  never  to  enter  into  a  labor  dispute 
except  on  the  joint  application  of  both  parties,  or  on  the 
specific  request  of  the  United  States  government.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  in  99  per  cent  of  the  cases  adjusted  by  him 
both  sides  requested  him  to  act. 

In  no  case  did  the  employees  receive  all  that  they  re- 
quested. In  certain  cases  involving  a  very  large  number 
of  hands,  where  the  wage  scale  had  recently  been  advanced 
and  where  it  was  found  that  the  rate  of  pay  was  as  high  as 
that  given  by  competitors,  Mr.  Endicott  refused  absolutely 
every  demand  made  by  the  men.  For  example,  in  the  Lynn 
strike  1,000  girls,  out  of  15,000  hands,  were  the  only  ones  to 
receive  an  advance. 

Still  further,  in  only  two  cases  did  either  side  attempt  to 
break  the  preliminary  agreement  to  abide  by  the  arbitrator's 
decision,  and  in  each  of  these  the  attempt  received  so  little 
support  that  it  fell  flat. 

137 


Mr.  'William  M.  Wood,  president  of  the  American  Woolen 
Company,  in  a  statement  given  out  by  him  shortly  after 
Mr.  Endicotl  had  rendered  his  decision,  said:  — 

The  settlement  of  the  Lawrence  strike  by  Mr.  Endicott  was  such  as 
to  be  perfectly  satisfactory  to  both  sides.  The  premium  system  was  a 
source  of  irritation  to  the  weavers  and  no  great  benefit  to  us.  We  have 
had  a  splendid  opportunity  to  compare  figures  on  efficiency  between  our 
mills  in  which  the  premium  system  was  used  and  our  other  mills,  and 
have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  it  did  not  promote  efficiency.  It 
was,  therefore,  to  the  best  interests  of  all  that  it  should  be  abolished. 
The  weavers  have  been  compensated  for  the  loss  of  the  premium  by  a 
50  per  cent  advance  in  the  weaving  schedule,  the  average  rate  of  wages 
thus  having  been  maintained  at  approximately  the  same  level. 

It  was  the  conviction  of  both  Mr.  Endicott  and  those 
associated  with  him  that  at  least  75  per  cent  of  the  diffi- 
culties between  labor  and  capital  which  came  under  his 
arbitration  would  easily  have  been  avoided  if  both  sides 
could  have  had  that  confidence  in  each  other  that  is  neces- 
sary between  employer  and  employee  to  ensure  uninter- 
rupted work  and  steady  production.  It  was  Mr.  Endicott's 
earnest  endeavor  to  eradicate  the  existing  distrust  as  far  as 
possible,  believing  that  by  so  doing  the  danger  of  inter- 
ruption of  business  would  be  very  much  minimized.  He 
had  always  in  his  own  business  been  governed  by  the 
principle  that  the  difference  in  quality  and  amount  pro- 
duced by  satisfied  labor  over  that  produced  by  dissatisfied 
labor  would  yield  all  the  profit  needed. 

It  was  also  found,  in  all  these  troubles,  that  it  was  not 
the  intent  of  the  employer  to  be  unreasonable,  and  that 
this  was  likewise  the  attitude  of  the  representatives  of 
organized  and  unorganized  labor.  Both  sides,  their  loyalty 
once  appealed  to,  responded  promptly,  realizing  that  it  was 
their  duty  as  far  as  in  them  lay  to  arrive  at  a  satisfactory 
understanding.  The  resultant  fact,  that  in  all  the  labor 
difficulties  brought  to  Mr.  Endicott  for  arbitration  and  in 
which  he  took  a  hand  there  was  not  a  single  failure  to  bring 
about  a  satisfactory  ending,  seems  to  prove  that  when  in  a 

138 


labor  difficulty  the  right  principle  is  pointed  out,  both 
sides  to  the  controversy  will  generally  follow  it,  whether  it 
is  a  question  of  time,  duties  or  wages. 

Computed  conservatively,  the  amount  of  saving  to  Mas- 
sachusetts and  the  Nation  by  avoiding  through  these  arbitra- 
ments an  interruption  of  work  must  have  reached  a  sum 
between  forty  and  fifty  millions  of  dollars,  at  least.  At  the 
same  time,  between  300,000  and  500,000  men  and  women 
—  during  a  time  of  great  labor  unrest  and  of  national 
emergency  and  excitement,  and  when  the  cost  of  living  was 
unprecedented  —  were  fairly  paid  for  their  labor,  and,  work- 
ing under  a  mutual  agreement  between  themselves  and 
their  employers,  remained  contented  and  cheerful. 


139 


Part    III 


MISCELLANEOUS   ACTIVITIES 

Part  I  has  dealt  more  particularly  with  organization  and 
the  results  obtained  by  preparatory  and  certain  special 
committees;  in  general  with  activities  of  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  either  finished  or  in  process  of  completion 
prior  to  our  entering  the  war,  April  6,  1917;  the  federaliza- 
tion of  our  troops,  July  28;  and  their  departure,  September 
7  of  the  same  year. 

Part  II  has  covered  the  Committee's  relation  to  labor 
controversies  and  arbitrations. 

The  activities  of  the  Committee  (Part  III)  admit  of  no 
dividing  line  concisely  drawn,  the  general  character  of  work 
having  continued  much  the  same  from  the  Committee's 
formation  to  the  time  it  was  dissolved.  But  it  should  be 
borne  in  mind  that  in  July  and  October,  1917,  two  important 
changes  took  place  in  its  scope  and  management.  In  the 
first  place,  a  new  and  exacting  line  of  work  devolved  upon 
the  Committee  through  Mr.  Hoover's  appointment  on 
July  11  of  Mr.  Endicott  to  be  Federal  Food  Administrator 
for  New  England,  -  -  confirmed  by  the  President  August  14, 
and  the  establishment  of  Food  Conservation  Committees 
throughout  the  State  as  functionaries  of  the  Committee. 
On  the  same  date,  July  11,  Mr.  Endicott  was  appointed 
by  Governor  McCall  to  be  State  Food  Administrator  for 
Massachusetts. 

It  automatically  followed  that  the  work  of  the  already 
existing  Preparatory  Committee  on  Food  Production  and 
Conservation  was  at  once  merged  in  the  larger  responsibility 
imposed  by  State  and  Nation.  As  Mr.  Endicott  already 
possessed  in  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  an  organiza- 

140 


tion  with  a  personnel  on  which  he  could  rely,  the  Food 
Administration  was  carried  on  by  him  in  conjunction  with 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

Secondly,  in  the  early  autumn,  another  and  far-reaching 
change  took  place  in  the  Committee's  affairs.  For  several 
months  previous  Mr.  Storrow  had  found  himself  obliged  to 
devote  his  main  efforts  to  dangers  involved  by  the  threaten- 
ing deficit  in  coal.  As  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  he  had  directed  its  course  from  the  beginning, 
and  guided  it  through  many  a  dangerous  pathway  with 
conspicuous  ability  and  success,  when,  on  October  3,  1917, 
lie  took,  as  will  appear  later,  the  entire  charge  of  the  Fuel 
Administration  throughout  New  England  by  virtue  of  both 
Federal  and  State  appointments.  A  complete  overturn  was 
thus  brought  about  in  the  conduct  of  the  Committee,  as 
Mr.  Storrow  was  forced  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to 
the  new  duties  to  which  he  was  committed,  and  to  place 
upon  other  shoulders  the  burdens  he  had  so  long  borne  in 
behalf  of  the  general  work  of  the  Committee.  The  Fuel 
Committee  thereafter,  with  Mr.  Storrow  as  its  chairman, 
although  germane  to  the  general  purposes  of  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety,  was  carried  on  independently  of  the  latter 
in  separate  though  connecting  rooms,  with  a  newly  appointed 
personnel  of  paid  and  volunteer  workers.  Mr.  Storrow  con- 
tinued to  retain  the  chairmanship  of  the  Committee  he  had 
done  so  much  to  create  and  build  up,  was  consulted  on 
important  matters,  and,  on  the  few  occasions  when  he  could 
make  it  possible,  presided  at  meetings  of  the  Executive 
Committee. 

Mr.  Endicott,  who  from  the  beginning  had  been  the 
executive  manager  of  the  Committee,  now  took  the  entire 
guidance  of  its  activities  in  addition  to  his  Food  Administra- 
tion duties.  Indeed,  so  closely  did  the  general  work  of  the 
Committee  become  interrelated  with  that  of  the  Food 
Administration  that  their  separation  would  have  been  well- 
nigh  impossible.  On  the  other  hand,  the  program  as  laid 
out  by  the  Fuel  Committee  involved  distinct  functions,  in 

141 


no  way  connected  with  those  heretofore  carried  on  by  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

With  this  explanation  in  regard  to  the  administrative 
conditions  governing  its  work,  certain  miscellaneous  ac- 
tivities of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  will  now  be 
related. 


142 


CHAPTER  I 

COMMITTEE  ON  THE  SOLICITATION  OF  FUNDS  FOR 

PATRIOTIC  PURPOSES 

The  Committee  on  the  Solicitation  of  Funds  for  Patriotic 
Purposes  was  appointed  on  March  4,  1918,  as  follows:  — 

George  H.  Lyman,  Chairman. 
George  A.  Rich,  Vice-Chairman. 
Joseph  G.  Minot,  Secretary. 

J.  Frank  O'Hare. 

Stillman  F.  Keller. 


"Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 
Mrs.  Roger  Wolcott. 
Mrs.  Charles  E.  Mason. 
Mrs.  George  R.  Fearing. 
Mrs.  F.  Lothrop  Ames. 
Miss  Dorothy  Forbes. 
Robert  Winsor. 

Rev.  Paul  Revere  Frothingham 
Adjt.-Gen.  Jesse  F.  Stevens. 


L.  B.  Hayes. 
Walter  C.  Baylies. 

A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
James  J.  Phelan. 

B.  Preston  Clark. 
Jesse  S.  Wiley. 


The  occasion  for  this  Committee  and  the  work  which  it 
was  expected  to  do  were  set  forth  in  a  bulletin  issued  at  the 
time  by  Mr.  Endicott  and  the  chairman,  reading  in  part  as 
follows :  — 

In  our  judgment  there  are  very  many  societies  which  are  duplicating 
the  work  of  already  existing  agencies,  and  are  spending  their  time,  their 
money  and  their  energies  without  being  of  the  least  help  to  our  country 
in  this  occasion  of  need.  There  are  also  societies  which  we  believe  are  so 
unbusinesslike  that  the  cost  of  collecting  funds  and  the  cost  of  doing  busi- 
ness take  a  very  large  share  of  the  money  which  each  person  contributes. 
There  are  undoubtedly  other  organizations  which  solicit  funds  for  im- 
proper purposes. 

Therefore,  realizing  the  danger  of  duplication,  and  the  danger  of  inef- 
ficiency, and  the  danger  of  wastefulness  and  dishonesty,  a  sub-committee 
of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety  has  been  appointed  to 
take  active  steps  to  have  properly  supervised  all  such  appeals,  in  order  to 
ensure  as  far  as  possible  in  behalf  of  the  generous  giver  to  patriotic  societies 
that  the  particular  cause  itself  is  worthy,  and  that  the  management  of  the 
funds  shall  be  economical  and  their  final  disposition  follow  accredited 
channels. 

143 


The  Committee  had  its  first  general  meeting  on  March 
11,  1918,  and  met  for  the  last  time  on  November  8,  1918, 
being  in  existence  almost  exactly  eight  months.  During 
that  period  something  like  366  different  activities  were 
investigated,  80  of  which  were  examined  very  thoroughly. 

The  Committee  divided  its  investigations  into  four 
classes: — 

1.  Organizations  which  appeared  distinctly  fraudulent. 
These  were  generally  turned  over  to  the  district  attorney 
for  such  action  as  he  deemed  advisable. 

2.  Those  where  overlapping  and  duplication  of  effort 
appeared,  causing  an  unnecessary  amount  of  overhead 
charges. 

3.  Those  purely  commercial  in  their  nature. 

•4.  Those  which,  though  honest,  were  so  poorly  managed 
that  the  beneficiaries  received  but  a  small  part  of  the  con- 
tributions. 

The  second  class  required,  when  possible,  an  adjustment 
of  interests  which  was  often  quite  difficult  to  bring  about. 
The  third  class  was  not  held  to  be  dishonest  in  character, 
but  there  always  exists  a  certain  body  of  professional  men 
and  women  who  make,  year  after  year,  a  good  income  by 
promoting  various  charities,  receiving  either  a  large  salary 
or  working  on  a  percentage  basis  which  sometimes  realizes 
more  than  50  per  cent  of  the  total  amount  collected.  For 
example,  an  instance  came  to  the  attention  of  the  Com- 
mittee where  $25,000  was  admittedly  the  average  percentage 
yearly  received  by  one  such  promoter,  and  yet  his  tran- 
sactions appeared  to  be  both  honest  and  open.  It  was  a 
purely  business  matter  with  him,  which,  however  it  may  be 
classified  in  times  of  peace,  was  pernicious  in  a  crisis  whea 
moneys  given  for  charitable  purposes  should  be  conserved 
as  far  as  humanly  possible. 

The  Committee's  investigations  covered  not  only  Massa- 
chusetts, but  New  York  and  Pennsvlvania  as  well,  for  it 
was  found  that  a  significant  interlocking  of  methods  and 
persons  existed  between  many  of  the  undesirable  organiza- 

144 


tions.  New  York  City,  particularly,  was  the  headquarters 
for  much  questionable  solicitation,  and  from  this  center 
both  appeals  and  agents  were  sent  into  all  the  neighboring 
States. 

The  Committee  had  no  recognized  legal  authority.  The 
power  it  exercised,  though  very  effective,  was  purely  a  moral 
influence,  generally  enhanced  by  a  fear  of  publicity. 

For  the  enforcement  of  its  suggestions  the  Committee 
was  dependent  mainly  upon  public  sentiment  and  the  co- 
operation of  those  prominent  in  business  and  social  affairs. 
Recourse  to  the  courts  was  deemed  advisable  only  when 
|here  was  evidence  of  misappropriation  of  funds,  or  of 
obtaining  money  under  false  pretenses.  Moreover,  in  the 
absence  of  any  legal  requirement  for  keeping  and  verifying 
accounts  showing  sums  collected  and  disbursed,  misappro- 
priation was  not  a  matter  readily  susceptible  of  proof.  How- 
ever, some  such  authoritative  supervision  was  exercised  by 
most  of  the  other  States,  but  in  three  only  was  this  based 
on  specific  legislative  authority.  The  State  of  Illinois  very 
early  adopted  a  system  of  licenses,  and  held  solicitors  of 
funds  for  such  purposes  to  a  strictly  legal  accounting. 

Without  doubt  this  last  method  would  have  been  the 
more  direct  and  businesslike  procedure,  for  there  is  no  ques- 
tion that  in  Massachusetts  alone  considerable  sums  of 
money  were  wasted  or  dishonestly  appropriated  while  the 
slower  methods  of  elimination  and  adjustment  were  going 
forward.  Large  amounts  might  have  been  saved  to  the 
givers  or  conserved  for  more  worthy  causes  had  legal  super- 
visory regulations  been  instituted  from  the  beginning.  Dis- 
trict Attorney  Swann  of  New  York,  in  a  report  on  the 
investigations  of  his  office  in  relation  to  this  group  of  war 
activities,  estimated  that  in  a  period  of  twelve  months  there 
was  a  loss  to  the  general  public  through  theft  and  misappro- 
priation of  more  than  $3,000,000,  and  these  losses  were 
occasioned  by  fraud,  simply,  and  were  exclusive  of  wastage 
through  extravagant  and  inefficient  management. 

Yet  despite  these  limitations  it  may  be  said  with  some 

145 


certainty  that  the  method  of  supervision  alone  resulted  in  a 
very  distinct  and  marked  success,  both  locally  and  through- 
out the  country.  The  evidence  of  this  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  when  supervision  was  largely  discontinued  by  reason  of 
the  armistice,  partly  through  the  influence  of  Committees 
on  Public  Safety,  and  partly  by  the  force  of  public  opinion, 
the  country-wide  activities  had  become  consolidated  under 
seven  major,  and  less  than  a  dozen  minor,  organizations, 
while  the  purely  local  activities  were  reduced  and  co- 
ordinated largely  on  a  community  basis.  The  most  difficult 
problem  which  the  Committee  had  to  deal  with  in  Massa- 
chusetts was  that  of  the  individual  who  sought  to  exploit 
the  patriotic  sympathies  of  the  public  for  his  or  her  selfish 
or  mercenary  purposes.  Even  here,  in  the  end,  and  as  a 
result  of  the  Committee's  work,  the  public  was  largely 
spared  from  calls,  under  the  guise  of  helping  the  war-stricken, 
to  provide  such  seekers  with  a  position  or  a  salary. 

The  wonderful  generosity  and  readiness  of  the  citizens  of 
Massachusetts  in  services  and  contributions  to  war  charities 
demanded  every  safeguard  the  Committee  was  able  to  offer 
for  their  protection  and  the  conservation  of  their  money  to 
the  best  uses.  With  that  end  in  view  steps  were  at  once 
taken  to  direct  public  attention  to  the  Committee's  real 
purpose,  and  to  invoke  that  assistance  which  every  one  was 
able  to  render.  Letters  were  addressed  by  the  chairman  to 
the  sub-committees  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
throughout  the  Commonwealth,  in  which  it  was  stated:  — 

I  hope  you  will  look  into  all  appeals  in  your  locality,  of  this  general 
character,  excepting,  of  course,  those  promotions  well  known  and  ac- 
credited. When  in  your  judgment  any  such  appeal  coming  under  your 
Observation  does  not  meet  with  your  approval,  whether  on  account  of  its 
object,  organization,  financial  methods,  agencies,  expenditures,  etc.,  or 
because  it  overlaps  or  duplicates  an  already  existing  and  dependable 
patriotic  object;  or  if  for  any  reason  you  doubt  its  usefulness  or  desirability 
in  the  line  of  its  proposed  activities  as  the  recipient  of  subscriptions,  we 
request  that  you  will  notify  us  at  your  earliest  convenience,  giving  all 
the  information  you  have  in  the  premises  and  such  suggestions  as  in  your 
judgment  may  be  helpful. 

146 


Similarly,  a  fonn  of  questionnaire  was  adopted  and  sent 
to  the  various  agencies  who  were  known  to  be  soliciting 
funds  in  the  State  or  planning  to  do  so,  the  essential  points 
of  which  were :  — 

Organization 

1.  Names  and  addresses  of  the  responsible  officers;  location  of  prin- 
cipal office;  if  the  organization  had  its  headquarters  outside  of  the  State, 
the  name  and  address  of  its  responsible  Massachusetts  representative. 

2.  Names  of  the  principal  endorsers  of  the  activity,  and  a  statement  as 
to  whether  these  endorsers  consented  to  the  use  of  their  names. 

>t  Scope  of  Activiti/ 

1.  Specific  purpose  of  the  activity;  how  organized,  and  whether  the 
proposed  beneficiaries  had  accepted  the  plan. 

2.  The  amount  of  money  to  be  raised,  and  probable  duration  of  the 
activity. 

3.  Proposed  method  of  solicitation,  and  the  nature  of  the  credentials 
given  to  its  authorized  agents. 

llnsiness  Methods 

1.  Salaries  paid  to  any  officer  or -agent,  direct  or  contingent. 

2.  Actual  or  estimated  expenses  per  month  for  labor,  rent,  stationery, 
printing,  postage,  etc. 

3.  Where  the  funds  collected  were  deposited;  and  whether  the  accounts 
were  audited  and  open  to  inspection. 

This  preliminary  inquiry  in  many  cases  developed  two 
facts,  both  of  which  were  of  importance  in  checking  up 
undesirable  enterprises.  The  first  was  the  unauthorized  use 
of  names,  always  a  warning  signal;  and  the  second,  the 
careless  lending  of  names  to  activities  which  had  not  been 
subject  to  careful  investigation  by  those  sponsoring  them. 
Naturally,  the  latter  were  the  more  numerous,  as  the  dis- 
honest worker  was  generally,  though  not  always,  too  clever 
to  lay  himself  open  to  quick  detection  through  the  printed 
use  of  unauthorized  patrons.  But  the  Committee  from  time 
to  time  directed  the  attention  of  such  sponsors,  and  more 
particularly  if  their  prominence  gave  weight  to  their  name, 
to  the  obligations  which  they  assumed  when  they  gave  their 

147 


endorsement  to  any  undertaking  of  this  class  which  sought 
contributions  from  the  general  public.  It  was  in  this  way 
thai  certain  forms  of  entertainment  were  discouraged,  and 
ultimately  eliminated,  as  where  the  principal  end  in  view 
savored  of  personal  exploitation,  and  the  net  results  handed 
over  to  the  beneficiaries  were  bound  to  be  insignificant. 

As  to  the  various  activities  which,  for  one  reason  or 
another,  it  was  found  necessary  to  discourage,  there  is  no 
occasion  to  discuss  them  in  detail.  The  Committee  made  it 
a  fixed  rule  not  to  give  approval  to  any  organization,  not 
even  to  the  Red  Cross,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Knights  of  Columbus, 
Jewish  Welfare  Board,  Salvation  Army,  or  to  any  of  the 
world-wide  recognized  efficient  bodies  engaged  in  charitable 
endeavor.  The  purpose  of  this  may  readily  be  seen,  for  if 
no  association  whatever  was  formally  endorsed,  then  no 
umbrage  could  be  taken  in  any  specific  case,  nor  injury  done, 
by  a  refusal.  Yet  the  mere  fact  that  the  Committee  did 
not  interfere  with  an  organization  collecting  money  was 
generally  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  equivalent  to  an 
endorsement.  When,  after  a  close  examination,  an  enter- 
prise was  judged  to  be  doubtful,  and  its  activities  could  not 
be  stopped,  information  was  given  to  the  papers. 

There  were  more  than  one  hundred  war  charity  organiza- 
tions regularly  working  in  Massachusetts,  independent  of 
others  which  were  relatively  transitory.  Among  the  former 
were  — 


Different  soeieties  for  the  relief  of 
American,  French,  Italian,  Eng- 
lish, Armenian,  Syrian,  wounded, 
blind,  impoverished,  etc. 

The  Huguenot  Committee. 

The  Army  Relief  Society. 

Convalescent  Home  Associations. 

Flying  Yacht  Clubs. 

Christinas  Cheer  Fund. 

Poets'  Ambulances  in  Italy. 

Ambulance  Relief  in  Russia. 

Comfort  Kit  Committee. 


Ball  and  Bat  Fund. 

The  Battle  Song  of  Peace. 

French  Heroes'  Lafayette  Memo- 
rial Fund. 

League  of  Loyal  Americans. 

Samaritan  Circle  of  Fatherless 
Children  in  France. 

Chain  Letters. 

Christian  Service. 

Association  for  the  Prevention  of 
Tuberculosis. 

Cripples'  War  Relief. 


148 


British  Empire  Rally  Fund. 

War  Babies'  Cradle. 

Friends  of  German  Democracy. 

Memorial  Funds. 

100  per  cent  Boys. 

League  of  National  Unity. 

American  Prisoners  in  Germany. 

Treasure  and  Trinket  Fund. 

Polish  Victims. 

Children's  Ambulance  Service. 

Aberdeen  Fund. 

American  Red  Star. 

American  Military  Hospital. 


Bohemian  National  Alliance. 

Belgian  Mission. 

Belgian  Artists'  Commission. 

British  War  Relief. 

Finnish  League. 

National  Allies. 

Lafayette  Fund. 

Navy  Relief. 

Navy  League. 

Stage  Women's  War  Relief. 

Naval  Reserve. 

Military  Naval  Reserve. 

Welfare  Union. 


The  Committee's  work  consisted  largely  of  personal  inter- 
views, and  of  explanation  and  persuasion  verbally  or  by 
letter.  It  was  found  in  most  cases  that,  when  all  the  con- 
ditions surrounding  any  particular  proposition  had  been  dis- 
cussed with  those  concerned,  particularly  in  their  bearing 
upon  the  general  emergency  situation,  the  nonessential  or 
unimportant  ventures  were  promptly  discontinued.  It  is 
enough,  therefore,  to  mention  a  few  of  the  special  classes  of 
organizations  which  were  discouraged,  as  indicative  of  the 
viewpoint  taken  by  the  Committee  in  its  work. 

1.  Certain  organizations,  the  propriety  of  whose  aims 
was  not  questioned,  were  inclined  to  adopt  special  means 
for  raising  money  which  were  open  to  criticism  both  in  point 
of  taste  and  of  good  business. 

For  instance,  such  a  plan  was  that  of  the  promiscuous 
distribution  of  pencils  through  the  mails,  with  the  names  of 
the  involuntary  recipients  printed  thereon,  and  accompanied 
by  the  request  that  the  same  be  returned  or  $1  remitted. 
Many  persons  were  decidedly  annoyed  by  this  proceeding, 
while  it  bad  also  a  reactionary  effect  upon  public  sentiment 
which  was  harmful  in  other  directions.  This  was  indicated 
by  the  many  complaining  letters  received  by  the  Committee. 
Further,  in  spite  of  the  high  price  asked  for  these  pencils  as 
merchandise,  it  was  not  good  business.  After  proper  allow- 
ances had  been  made  for  the  cost  of  the  pencils  —  for  the 

149 


labor,  stationery,  printing  and  postage  in  connection  there- 
with, and  for  failures  to  respond  —  the  margin  remaining 
for  beneficiaries  was  inadequate,  as  was  indicated  by  an 
examination  of  one  such  account.  Indeed,  it  may  be  said 
that  wherever  the  Committee  found  merchandise  to  be  used 
as  an  ostensible  means  for  getting  contributions  the  plan 
rarely  justified  itself  from  any  angle. 

,\  Again,  the  sale  of  "tags"  was  not  without  certain 
objectionable  features,  which  the  Committee  endeavored  to 
correct.  Naturally,  this  became  a  very  popular  means  for 
raising  small  amounts  of  money  for  special  or  local  objects, 
as  it  required  little  preliminary  preparation  and  advance 
expenditure.  But  the  facility  with  which  "tag  days"  could 
be  instituted  made  it  easy  to  secure  contributions  in  this 
wise  for  purposes  not  altogether  worthy,  while  the  scattered 
public  from  whom  the  money  was  obtained  had  no  way  of 
knowing  how  it  was  finally  disbursed.  The  dime,  or  quarter, 
which  the  tag  cost  was  not  enough  to  arouse  upon  the  part 
of  the  contributor  very  much  consideration  as  to  the  object 
of  its  use.  Cumulatively,  the  sum  raised  would  amount  to 
a  great  deal. 

Moreover,  young  girls  were  largely  employed  upon  the 
streets  and  at  the  railroad  stations  in  the  sale  of  these  tags. 
This  was  by  no  means  an  unmixed  good.  In  fact,  the  Com- 
mittee was  in  co-operation  with  prominent  social  wrorkers  of 
the  State  with  the  idea  of  formulating  more  careful  regula- 
tions, in  the  girls'  interest,  by  restricting  the  hours  and 
defining  the  conditions  under  which  such  sales  should  be 
made.  In  this  same  connection,  and  presenting  possibilities 
far  more  pernicious,  it  was  found  that  young  girls  were 
being  solicited,  under  certain  conditions  and  limitations,  to 
volunteer  for  work  in  foreign  lands,  the  character  of  such  a 
request  on  the  face  of  it  being,  to  say  the  least,  doubtful. 
For  instance,  in  one  such  enterprise  a  girl  would  be  asked  to 
visit  headquarters,  and  when  there  she  was  looked  over  as 
if  with  a  view  to  appraising  her  physical  value.  It  appeared 
that  if  she  passed  muster  she  was  asked  to  call  again,  and 

150 


then  questioned  regarding  her  age  and  whether  or  not  she 
was  independent  of  home  influences  or  other  control.  If 
accepted,  she  was  required  to  make  a  deposit  of  cash  in 
order  to  meet  the  expenses  of  being  properly  trained  for 
what  was  represented  as  "general  relief"  work,  and  at  the 
same  time  instructed  that  she  was  not  to  take  abroad  with 
her  either  money  or  letter  of  credit.  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  this  organization  was  quickly  broken  up. 

3.  The  "chain  letter"  plan  of  raising  money  was  dis- 
approved absolutely,  and  a  bulletin  issued  advising  that  it 
be  "discouraged  in  every  way,"  the  fundamental  objection 
Joeing  the  absence  of  any  definite  obligation  to  any  person  or 
persons  on  the  part  of  the  promoters.  One  phase  of  this 
irresponsibility  was  illustrated  by  early  attempts  to  promote 
such  schemes  in  Massachusetts,  of  which  the  two  following 
are  noticeable  examples.  One  was  in  the  form  of  an  appeal 
for  funds  for  founding  a  special  hospital  in  France  for  the 
treatment  of  wounds  in  the  face  and  jaw.  The  second  was 
a  plan  for  the  sale  of  war  saving  stamps.  With  each  proposi- 
tion the  name  of  a  prominent  and  established  organization 
was  linked;  yet  both  of  these  organizations  denied  having 
given  the  right  to  use  their  names. 

4.  Under  this  class  came  a  rather  numerous  group  whose 
objects,  even  if  attained,  were  not  considered  essential  to 
the  needs  of  the  hour,  or  were  not  timely,  or  were  covered 
by  fully  accredited  existing  agencies.  Largely,  these  were 
what  might  be  described  as  personal  propositions.  Many  of 
them  had  no  formal  organization,  but  were  managed  solely 
by  their  originators.  In  most  cases  the  money  was  to  be 
spent  in  some  way  beneficial  to  the  Allies,  which  involved 
sending  agents  to  Europe  to  conduct  the  work.  In  the 
absence  of  convincing  reasons  all  such  propositions  were  dis- 
approved. 

Of  this  last  type  was  a  project  for  raising  funds  for  certain 
special  hospital  work  in  France.  A  large  sum  of  money  for 
this  purpose  was  actually  obtained,  but  later,  with  the  con- 
sent of  all  concerned,  this  was  turned  over  to  the  French 

151 


Ambassador,    to   be   expended   under   the   direction   of   his 
government. 

Similarly,  and  in  the  home  field,  the  activities  of  the  so- 
called  United  States  Boy  Scouts,  with  its  various  interlock- 
ing organizations,  were  not  approved.  They  were  regarded 
as  not  having  a  necessary  place  in  the  work  of  the  State. 
Investigation  convinced  the  Committee  that  they  were  all 
essentially  personal  enterprises  mostly  under  one  general 
directorate,  and  that  the  business  methods  adopted  were 
often  open  to  the  severest  criticism.  Further,  the  un- 
fortunate similarity  of  name  with  that  of  a  well-known  and 
splendid  organization,  the  Boy  Scouts  of  America,  was  felt 
to  be  a  real  injury  to  the  latter  as  well  as  a  source  of  con- 
fusion to  the  public. 

Well  within  this  class  was  another  scheme,  sponsored  in 
"Washington.  About  the  1st  of  May,  1918,  the  Committee 
was  approached  by  an  agent  of  the  Department  of  Films  of 
the  Committee  on  Public  Information  at  Washington,  asking 
its  encouragement  and  financial  assistance  in  promoting  a 
four  or  five  days'  festival  in  the  thirty  larger  cities  of  the 
country,  including  Boston,  at  which,  for  educational  and 
informational  purposes,  the  activities  of  the  army  and  navy, 
the  Red  Cross  and  other  patriotic  organizations  would  be 
portrayed.  It  was  proposed,  as  part  of  this  endeavor,  to 
transport  from  one  place  to  another  hundreds  of  trophies, 
including  heavy  ordnance  captured  from  the  Germans  by 
French,  British,  Canadian  and  Italian  forces,  all  of  which, 
together  with  soldiers  lent  by  the  government  and  other 
attractions,  would  stir  the  patriotism  of  the  people.  The 
proceeds  derived  from  the  entertainments  were  to  be  divided 
on  a  50-50  basis  with  the  Red  Cross.  The  cost  for  the  Boston 
exhibit  alone  was  calculated  as  somewhere  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  $100,000  to  $150,000.  This  venture  the  Committee 
distinctly  disapproved  of,  on  the  ground  that  the  expense 
would  necessarily  come  out  of  the  pockets  of  the  people,  and 
that  the  transportation  of  the  properties,  as  well  as  of  the 
soldiers,   would   interfere   with   the  carrying  on   of   regular 

152 


business  by  interrupting  and  further  congesting  traffic; 
furthermore,  that  the  amount  of  labor  required,  which  could 
onlv  come  from  industries  where  it  was  vitally  needed  and 
could  not  be  spared,  was  most  inadvisable  under  existing 
conditions;  and  certainly  the  doubtful  beneficial  result,  to 
this  section  of  the  country  at  least,  would  in  no  wise  com- 
pensate for  the  cost. 

In  regard  to  the  amount  sought  to  be  collected  by  the 
different  organizations,  the  general  and  more  human  principle 
developed  was  to  get  all  there  was  in  sight;  but  where  speci- 
fied sums  were  aimed  for,  a  broad  margin  of  difference 
existed.  One  perfectly  honest  young  colored  girl,  collecting 
money  for  colored  soldiers,  was  greatly  worried  lest  she  be 
relieved  of  the  50  cents  already  given  her  in  driblets,  though 
she  had  dreamed  of  eventually  raising  possibly  $50  if  not 
interfered  with.  In  another  more  ambitious  and  apparently 
equally  honest  case  an  organization  conceived  the  plan  of 
raising  $100,000,000,  admitting  that  the  overhead  charges 
would  be  at  least  50  per  cent. 

5.  The  Committee  recorded  itself  as  opposed  to  the  "war 
chest"  method  of  raising  money  in  the  State,  and  this 
position  was  confirmed  at  a  meeting  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  after  very7  careful 
deliberation.  The  strongest  argument  offered  in  favor  of 
the  plan  was  that  it  conserved  energy  by  concentrating 
money  drives  to  one  particular  time.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  were  possible  and  probable  losses  to  be  considered 
which  were  likely  to  more  than  offset  this  gain. 

In  the  first  place,  a  single  drive  was  likely  to  produce  less 
money  than  a  number  of  separate  ones,  and  there  would  be 
lacking  the  cumulative  inspiration  which  would  come  from 
a  series  of  appeals.  Again,  the  single  campaign  would 
afford  a  refuge  for  the  slacker.  As  pointed  out  by  the 
Executive  Committee :  — 

In  every  community  are  selfish  people  who  contribute  only  because 
they  will  be  advertised  if  they  do  not.  These  people  can  hide  to  a  certain 
extent  behind  the  war  chest  movement. 

153 


Secondly,  it  gave  no  opportunity  to  contributors  to  indi- 
cate their  preference  as  to  relief  agencies.  This  involved  a 
distinct  loss  of  individual  interest,  —  in  fact,  would  be  a 
complete  surrender  of  the  personal  equation.  Quoting  from 
the  letter  of  a  prominent  worker,  and  also  contributor  to 
war  charities:  — 

The  war  chest  will,  I  believe,  substitute  a  relatively  cold,  impersonal, 
money-gathering  and  distributing  machine  for  a  method  which  stimulates 
patriotism  and  makes  the  giver  feel  that  he  is  contributing  to  a  cause 
which  appeals  to  him  and  stirs  his  best  impulses.  Speaking  for  myself, 
and,  I  believe,  for  the  majority  of  people,  I  prefer  to  say  where  my  con- 
tributions shall  go  rather  than  delegate  that  contributing  privilege  to  the 
majority  vote  of  a  war  chest  appropriation  committee. 

Thirdly,  the  plan  made  no  provision  for  unexpected 
occurrences  or  disasters. 

It  is  only  fair  to  say,  however,  that  the  "war  chest"  was 
adopted  by  several  cities  and  towns  in  the  Commonwealth, 
with  every  indication  of  probable  success,  though  the  early 
signing  of  the  armistice  precluded  any  final  determination 
as  to  its  real  merits. 

The  members  of  the  Committee  were  unanimous  in  their 
sense  of  obligation  to  Mr.  Charles  H.  Taylor,  Jr.,  of  the 
''Boston  Globe,"  who,  both  through  the  services  courteously 
rendered  by  his  paper  and  his  own  constant  personal  interest 
and  effort,  materially  aided  them  in  their  work. 

In  regard  to  statutory  authority  for  the  supervision  exer- 
cised, efforts  were  made  in  May,  1918,  to  secure  such  legis- 
lation in  Massachusetts,  but  so  late  in  the  session  that 
nothing  was  accomplished;  also  a  bill  for  Federal  control 
of  all  war  charities  was  introduced  into  Congress  by  Senator 
John  W.  Weeks,  which  likewise  did  not  reach  the  enactment 
stage.  But  the  Committee  put  itself  on  record,  as  the 
result  of  its  experiences,  that,  should  another  such  emer- 
gency befall  the  country,  the  question  of  legislative  restric- 
tion in  the  solicitation  of  funds  for  patriotic  purposes  should 
receive  early  attention;   for,  however  successful  supervision 

154 


by  way  of  an  educated  public  opinion  —  which  is,  after  all, 
merely  a  psychological  influence  —  might  be,  it  is  obtained 
through  the  expenditure  of  too  much  time  and  money,  when 
a  more  expeditious  and  permanently  binding  result  would 
be  obtained  through  legislative  enactment. 

The  purpose  of  the  Committee  was  to  check  a  prevailing 
evil  which  curtailed  the  fuller  efficiency  demanded  for  our 
public  safety,  —  a  war-time  measure  to  continue  during 
hostilities.  In  its  membership  the  Committee  embodied  a 
very  strong  and  influential  representation  of  our  citizenship, 
as  well  as  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety.  In  many 
6ases  its  duty  was  not  perfectly  clear  or  well  defined;  and  its 
efforts,  often  restricted  by  the  lack  of  specific  legal  authority 
to  enforce  its  judgment,  required  at  all  times  the  exercise  of 
a  thoughtful  discretion  in  order  to  avoid  trampling  on  the 
rights  of  others  and  losing  that  popular  backing  which  was 
its  chief  executive  power  and  encouragement. 


155 


CHAPTER  II 
COMMITTEE    ON    NEW    ENGLAND    SAWMILL    UNITS 

"The  New  England  Sawmill  Unit  was  the  best  sporting 
event  that  has  come  to  my  attention  during  the  war."  So 
spoke  Lord  Lovat,  Brigadier-General  in  charge  of  lumber 
interests  for  the  British  government. 

At  the  time  the  Lmited  States  entered  the  war  Great 
Britain  was  in  sore  need  of  timber.  Her  available  wood- 
lands had  been  invaded  and  her  immediate  lumber  supply 
greatly  reduced.  A  similar  shortage  existed  also  in  all  the 
other  belligerent  countries,  even  Germany  being  forced  to 
ruthlessly  deplete  those  forests  which  she  had  laboriously 
planted  and  scientifically  nursed  through  several  genera- 
tions. The  erection  of  innumerable  ammunition  plants, 
the  building  of  hospitals,  barracks  and  ordnance  depots; 
the  manufacture  of  boxes  and  shell  cases;  the  increasing 
need  for  railway  mileage  for  military  purposes  and  for 
making  highways  passable;  the  speeding  up  of  mines  and 
mills;  the  construction  of  trenches;  with  many  other  new 
demands  incident  to  modern  warfare,  all  contributed  to  this 
deficiency.  A  further  drawback  was  the  limited  trans- 
portation for  overseas  service,  which,  with  the  menace  of 
increasing  submarine  activities,  prevented  the  United  States 
from  shipping  lumber  across  the  water.  So  pressing  was 
England's  need  that  on  April  16,  1917,  Col.  Vernon  Willey 
of  the  British  War  Office  cabled  to  Mr.  William  A.  Gaston, 
chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee,  suggesting  that  America 
could  best  help  England  by  sending  over  experienced  lumber- 
men to  manufacture  lumber  for  war  purposes. 

Compliance  with  such  a  sudden  and  unexpected  demand 
called  for  a  wide  departure  from  any  activity  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety  had  heretofore  contemplated.  But  this 
request,   coming  from  so   authoritative  a  source,   at  once 

156 


caught  the  interest  and  enthusiasm  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, who  on  April  23  voted  that  Mr.  Storrow  should 
send  to  Colonel  Willey  the  following  message  in  reply:  — 

Understanding  that  skilled  lumbermen  are  needed  in  England  to  sup- 
ply timber  for  forces  in  Europe,  New  England  gladly  offers  its  services  in 
assembling  men  and  material  for  ten  complete,  working,  portable  sawmill 
units,  all  to  be  shipped  from  Boston,  each  unit  to  consist  of  thirty  experi- 
enced men,  with  portable  sawmill,  ten  suitable  horses,  harness,  wagons, 
saws,  axes,  or  other  tools  and  camp  equipment,  ready  for  business  on 
landing;  men,  all  civilian  volunteers,  with  capable  men  in  general  charge. 
The  cost  of  the  portable  mill,  horses  and  of  equipment,  including  freight 
a^id  other  expenses  to  steamer  side,  about,  and  not  over,  $10,000  per  unit; 
Wages  per  month  per  unit  about  $2,000.  Have  not  yet  consulted  lumber 
companies  because  not  certain  English  government  would  desire  these 
outfits,  but  we  are  sure  New  England  would  want  to  contribute  five  of 
these  outfits,  delivered  at  the  steamer's  side.  We  assume,  if  desired,  the 
English  government  could  arrange  space  on  steamer  sailing  from  Boston. 
We  prefer  men  and  outfits  to  be  all  together  on  the  same  steamer. 

An  immediate  acceptance  of  this  offer  was  received  by 
telegram  through  the  British  Embassy  at  Washington :  — 

The  War  Offices  are  most  pleased  to  accept  Mr.  Storrow's  offer,  and 
request  that  this  acceptance  should  be  communicated  to  him,  and  ask  for 
a  date  on  which  the  transport  for  these  units  should  be  provided. 

A  corroboration  of  the  above  came  by  letter  a  few  days 
later. 

British  Embassy,  Washington,  May  15,  1917. 

Sir:  —  I  have  received  a  telegram  from  the  Foreign  Office  stating  that 
the  War  Offices  accept  with  gratitude  your  generous  offer  of  ten  complete 
sawmill  units  for  work  in  England.  The  War  Offices  request  me  to  convey 
to  you  an  expression  of  their  high  appreciation  of  the  very  welcome  co- 
operation of  the  New  England  States  in  this  matter,  and  I  wish  to  add  a 
word  of  personal  thanks  to  the  gentleman  who  initiated  a  movement  of 
such  immense  practical  importance  to  the  successful  prosecution  of  the 
great  struggle  in  which  our  two  Nations  are  so  happily  united. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Cecil  Spring-Rice. 

157 


On  receipt  of  the  wire  from  the  Embassy  the  proposal  was 
taken  up  directly  with  the  War  Department  at  Washington, 
and  the  Secretary  of  War  advised  going  ahead  without 
further  delay  or  more  formal  authorization.  Correspondence 
then  ensued  with  the  Governors  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire, 
Vermont,  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts,  all  of  whom 
gave  full  assurances  of  their  sympathy  with  the  project, 
and  their  desire  to  co-operate  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  James  J.  Phelan,  who  had  had  long 
experience  in  the  lumber  business,  and  whose  inspiring 
energy  was  from  first  to  last  the  mainspring  of  the  whole 
enterprise,  formulated  a  general  plan  which  he  offered  to 
the  Committee,  by  whose  authorization  he  later  presented 
it  to  a  gathering  of  lumber  men.  The  latter  quickly  formed 
an  organization  to  put  the  proposition  through,  with  Mr. 
W.  A.  Brown  of  the  Berlin  Mills  Company  as  chairman, 
and  Mr.  Phelan  as  vice-chairman,  and,  assisting  them,  Mr. 
F.  W.  Rane,  State  Forester  of  Massachusetts,  and  Mr.  H.  G. 
Philbrook  of  the  Connecticut  Valley  Lumber  Company. 
Many  well-known  lumbermen  and  State  Foresters  of  New 
England  volunteered  for  service,  and  devoted  a  great  deal 
of  time  and  thought  toward  making  the  undertaking  a 
success.  Headquarters  were  established  in  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safetv's  rooms  at  the  State  House,  where  all  the 
details  of  organization,  transportation  and  equipment  were 
curried  through  under  the  general  direction  of  Mr.  Phelan, 
Mr.  Brown  and  "Sir.  Philbrook. 

Within  a  month  122  horses  and  10  portable  sawmills 
were  purchased.  The  above  were  fully  outfitted,  the  equip- 
ment numbering  over  2,000  different  articles.  During  the 
same  period  more  than  350  men  were  enlisted.  Funds 
raised  by  subscription,  and  amounting  to  $130,000,  were 
formally  presented  as  a  "gift  from  New  England  to  Old 
England,"  -  a  unique  example  of  the  former's  good  will 
and  patriotism.  Of  this  sum,  each  of  the  six  New  England 
States  agreed  to  furnish  $12,000.  The  balance  was  secured 
from  77  firms,  corporations  and  individual  subscriptions,  in 

158 


sums  varying  from  $10  to  $5,000,  supplemented  by  a  gift 
from  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  of  $12,017.47. 

Notwithstanding  the  difficulty  of  holding  together  during 
the  three  days'  wait  prior  to  their  departure  so  large  an 
aggregate  of  lumber  jacks,  —  many  of  them  fresh  from  the 
remote  back  woods,  and  all  anxious  to  investigate  the  attrac- 
tions of  our  Boston  town,  —  nevertheless,  without  the  loss 
of  a  man,  the  Sawmill  Units  set  sail  for  England  on  June  15, 
1917,  the  men  traveling  on  rations  as  British  soldiers.  They 
comprised  the  first  organized  body  of  American  lumbermen 
to  respond  for  service  overseas.  Each  man  was  under 
separate  contract  with  the  British  government,  his  term  of 
service  to  expire  on  June  15,  1918,  at  which  time  the  British 
government  agreed  to  send  back  to  the  United  States  any 
man  who  so  desired. 

At  a  farewell  banquet  given  to  them  at  the  City  Club, 
Boston,  on  the  eve  of  their  departure,  Governor  McCall 
said:  — 

This  movement  is  a  most  remarkable  one,  and  one  of  the  most  splendid 
contributions  that  our  country  could  make  to  the  war.  It  means  com- 
fortable buildings  erected  for  the  wounded  back  of  the  lines.  It  means 
the  rapid  restoration  of  bridges  necessary  for  military  strategy.  It  means 
trenches  lined  with  wooden  sheathing  which  will  obviate  to  a  great  extent 
the  unpleasantness  of  mud.  It  means  the  accomplishment  of  work  for 
which  the  Allies  have  neither  available  nor  trained  men.  There  is  no  body 
of  men  who  will  contribute  more  to  the  success  of  the  Allied  cause  than 
you  whom  I  see  before  me,  and  I  think  you  should  feel  that  you  are  as 
much  America's  contribution  to  the  war  as  if  you  wore  a  uniform  and 
carried  a  gun. 

On  July  4,  1917,  the  contingent  disembarked  at  Liverpool, 
and  after  a  journey  of  five  hundred  miles,  the  following  day 
reached  Argday,  Rosshire,  Scotland,  a  small  village  on  the 
Dornoch  Firth,  about  fifty  miles  north  of  Inverness.  There 
was  a  slight  delay  in  the  arrival  of  the  equipment,  but 
July  28  witnessed  the  first  board  ever  sawed  on  foreign  soil 
by  an  organized  body  of  Americans.  By  the  middle  of 
August  the  entire  outfit  was  in  full  action.     Timber  tracts 

159 


chosen  for  operation  were  on  mill  sites,  situated  in  north- 
eastern Rosshire  and  southeastern  Sutherlandshire,  and  all 
were  comprehended  within  a  radius  of  five  miles  from  the 
units'  headquarters  at  Argday.  Seven  of  the  units  operated 
on  the  estate  of  Sir  Charles  Ross,  the  inventor  of  the  Ross 
Rifle,  and  three  on  the  Skibo  Castle  property  of  Andrew 
Carnegie.  The  greater  part  of  these  tracts  had  once  been 
cut  over  to  supply  lumber  for  the  Napoleonic  Wars,  and  the 
replanted  trees,  now  nearly  a  century  old,  had  attained  to  a 
magnificent  size,  offering  a  high-grade  dimension  lumber. 
All  together  they  were  supposed  to  carry  about  24,000,000 
feet  of  timber. 

Lumber   production   began   in   August,   each   unit   being 
organized  as  follows:  — 


Woods :  — 

Four  to  5  head  choppers. 

Four  to  5  second  choppers. 

Four  to  5  swampers. 

Four  to  5  teamsters. 
General :  — 

Cook. 

Cookee. 

Blacksmith. 


Foreman  and  clerk. 
Mill:  — 
Millwright. 

Sawyer. 

Unloader  and  scaler. 
Roll-on  man. 
Take-away  man. 
Checker. 
Fireman. 

Slab-and-fuel  man. 
Teamster. 
Lumber  sticker. 

Each  unit  plant  consisted  of  the  following:  — 

Portable  steam  sawmill,  boiler  and  engine. 
Buildings:  — 

Cook  house,  sleeping  camps,  stable,  blacksmith  shop  and  outbuildings. 
Camp  equipment:  — 

Complete  kitchen  and  dining-room  utensils,  camp  bedding  and  neces- 
sary supplies. 
Ten  to  twelve  horses. 
Woods  outfit:  — 

Crosscut  saws,  axes,  wedges,  hammers,  cant  dogs,  scoots  and  sleds. 
Wagons  were  used  for  hauling  lumber  from  mill  units  and  for  mill 
supplies.  A  few  logging  trucks  were  available  for  transporting  logs 
from  main  highways  to  the  mills,  though  very  little  use  was  found  for 
wagons  in  the  woods. 

160 


Sawing  Lumber 


Bunk  House 


During  the  first  nine  and  one-half  months  of  operating 
time  20,000,000  board  feet  of  lumber  were  produced,  in- 
eluding  railroad  ties,  dimension  lumber  and  mine  props. 
Over  00,000  railroad  ties  were  made,  and  a  quantity  of 
special  dimension  lumber  sawed  for  army  and  navy  special 
construction  purposes;  and  in  addition  a  large  volume  of 
sidings  and  larger  dimension  sizes  were  shipped  to  resawing 
plants  to  be  manufactured  into  munition  boxes.  All  of  this 
timber  was  cut  on  private  estates,  and  consisted  in  the 
main  of  Scotch  pine,  larch  and  Norway  spruce.  The  trees 
were  felled  on  land  so  steep  as  to  require  the  use  of  "scoots" 
or  wood-shod  sleds;  yet  more  feet  of  lumber  were  produced 
per  man  per  day  than  by  any  similar  organization  in  Great 
Britain.  This  was  due  in  part  to  the  mills  being  portable, 
and  also  to  the  general  make-up  of  the  whole  outfit,  which 
proved  peculiarly  well  adapted  to  the  lumbering  conditions 
in  Scotland,  and  enabled  the  operators  to  work  economically 
on  small  lots.  This  would  not  have  been  possible  with 
larger  plants.  Before  the  units  left  for  Liverpool  the  men 
had  been  recruited  as  civilians.  This  was  of  great  advantage, 
since  it  resulted  in  fewer  men  being  employed  to  do  a  given 
amount  of  work  than  would  have  been  required  under 
military  control,  and  subjected  them  to  less  restraint  and 
loss  of  that  freedom  which  they  had  always  been  accustomed 
to. 

However,  in  order  to  guarantee  a  continuity  of  production, 
and  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  many  war  industries  dependent 
on  a  steady  supply  of  lumber,  arrangements  were  later  made 
to  loan  to  the  British  government  a  company  of  the  6th 
Battalion  of  the  20th  Forest  Engineers  of  the  United  States 
Army.  When  the  men  of  the  Sawmill  Units  were  given  the 
option  of  joining  this  battalion,  about  one  hundred  of  them 
did  so.  Others  enlisted  in  different  branches  of  the  army 
and  navy,  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  returned  to  the 
United  States. 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  at  Argday,  Mr.  D.  P.  Brown 
of  the  Berlin   Mills   Company,   who   had   accompanied  the 

161 


expedition  as  its  general  manager,  resigned  that  he  might 
return  to  the  United  States  and  enlist  in  our  army.  Mr. 
Edgar  C.  Hirst,  State  Forester  of  New  Hampshire,  was  then 
put  in  charge,  having  on  his  staff  as  assistant  managers  and 
chief  engineers,  Mr.  H.  M.  Hackett  of  Athol,  Mass.,  Mr. 
G.  M.  Shea  of  the  Connecticut  Valley  Lumber  Company, 
and  Mr.  C.  A.  Pratt.  Mr.  Hirst  practically  remained  in 
control  from  the  time  the  cutting  operations  began  until  the 
new  military  unit  was  fully  organized,  the  commissioned 
officers  of  which  were  in  general  chosen  from  the  foremen  of 
the  New  England  Sawmill  Units'. 

After  Mr.  Hirst  returned  to  America  he  received  the 
following  letter  from  the  Assistant  Controller  of  Timber 
Supplies  for  Scotland,  which  expressed  the  appreciation  of 
that  department  for  the  splendid  assistance  given  by  the 
units :  — 

Dear  Mr.  Hirst:  —  I  desire  to  convey  to  you  formally  the  thanks  of 
this  department  for  the  valuable  assistance  it  has  received  from  you  dur- 
ing the  year  you  have  been  in  charge  of  the  New  England  Sawmill  Units. 

Even  in  this  time  of  great  events,  the  action  of  the  New  England  States 
in  sending  this  expedition  to  Great  Britain  stands  out  as  a  notable  episode. 
Thanks  to  the  energy,  zeal  and  hard  work  of  yourself  and  your  assistants, 
your  mill  foremen  and  men,  the  gift  so  generously  designed  by  the  Com- 
mittee has  most  happily  achieved  its  object.  It  has  provided  us  in  time 
of  need  with  timber  we  could  not  otherwise  have  produced.  It  has  be- 
queathed to  us  valuable  plant  and  horses.  On  our  side  it  leaves  a  feeling 
of  profound  gratitude  and  friendship  towards  the  States  that  sent  you 
over,  and  of  warm  personal  regard  to  yourself.  .  .  . 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

John  Stirling  Maxwell, 
Assistant  Controller  of  Timber  Supplies,  Scotland. 

The  formal  presentation  of  the  units  from  New  England 
to  Old  England  was  made  by  Mr.  George  S.  Lewis  of  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  to  Right  Hon.  Arthur  James  Balfour,  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs  for  the  British  government,  at  the  office  of 
the  Ministry  in  London.  Mr.  Lewis  carried  with  him  a 
letter  of  gift  from  the  Governor  of  each  New  England  State. 
The  gratitude  of  the  British  government  for  the  help  given 

1G2 


them  by  New  England  in  sending  this  assistance  may  be 
gathered  from  the  following  letter  written  to  Mr.  Lewis 
just  previous  to  his  embarking  for  America:  — 

Dear  Mr.  Lewis:  —  I  cannot  allow  you  to  leave  England  without 
again  expressing  my  heartfelt  thanks  for  the  splendid  help  you  have  given 
to  this  country  in  general  and  to  my  department  in  particular. 

Words  fail  me  to  give  adequate  expression  to  my  gratitude,  both  for  the 
magnificent  gift  from  New  England  and  for  the  infinite  pains  which  you 
have  taken  to  insure  that  Old  England  should  receive  the  fullest  benefits 
from  that  gift. 

You  have  given  your  Lumber  Units  a  splendid  start,  and  I  am  very 
sorry  that  you  cannot  stay  to  see  the  great  results  which  we  are  all  con- 
fident they  will  achieve.  You  will  be  sorry,  too,  but  you  will  have  the 
supreme  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  your  generous  sacrifice  of  time  and 
thought  in  our  interests  has  rendered  us  a  most  signal  service. 

When  you  return  to  England,  as  I  sincerely  hope  you  will,  a  warm  wel- 
come awaits  you  from  the  many  friends  you  have  made  during  your  brief 
stay  among  us;    from  none  will  it  be  warmer  and  more  sincere  than, 

Yours  most  sincerely, 

J.  B.  Ball, 
Controller  of  Timber  Supplies  of  the  British  Board  of  Trade. 

The  climate  of  Scotland  seemed  to  agree  with  the  men  in 
more  ways  than  one.  They  were  both  well  and  happy,  and 
most  cordially  and  hospitably  welcomed  by  the  people  of 
the  neighborhood,  who  expressed  great  admiration  for  the 
manner  in  which  they  conducted  themselves  and  turned  out 
their  work.  Indeed,  so  naturallv  did  thev  succumb  to  the 
charms  of  their  Scotch  environment  that  the  home  passage 
was  enlivened  by  the  presence  of  a  large  bevy  of  bona  fide 
Highland  lassies  as  brides. 

In  the  matter  of  rations,  each  man  was  allowed  by  the 
British  government  the  following:  — 

Meat  and  fish,  18  ounces  per  day. 
Bread,  16  ounces  per  day. 
Sugar,  \  pound  per  week. 
Tea,  ^  ounce  per  day. 

All  non-rationed  articles,  such  as  potatoes,  beans,  fresh 

vegetables,  coffee  and  cocoa   were  obtained  in  practically 

unlimited  amounts. 

103 


Many  interesting  letters  were  written  home  by  the  men 
after  they  had  a  chance  to  become  acquainted  with  their 
surroundings,  and  of  these  it  may  be  of  interest  to  record  a 
few.  Under  date  of  July  9,  1917,  one  member  of  the  organi- 
zation wrote:  — 

We  stayed  in  Halifax  Harbor  nearly  a  week,  and  when  we  finally  did 
start  we  had  an  old  boat  with  us,  besides  a  destroyer,  and  we  had  to  go 
slowly  to  keep  with  them,  so  did  not  get  across  for  nine  days,  landing  at 
Liverpool  on  the  afternoon  of  the  Fourth.  About  two  days  out  from  port 
we  were  met  by  a  destroyer,  which  accompanied  us  in,  and  it  was  lucky 
for  us  that  it  did,  for  the  night  before  we  docked  a  torpedo  missed  us  by 
about  30  feet;  but  the  "sub"  was  chased  off.  We  wore  our  life  belts  all  the 
time  coming  over,  and  we  felt  as  though  we  had  lost  something  when  we 
were  on  land  again.  Most  of  the  municipal  buildings  were  flying  our  flag 
in  honor  of  our  holiday,  and  the  crowds  all  cheered  and  whistled  when  they 
saw  our  American  flag. 

Another  correspondent  wrote :  — 

We  arrived  at  Liverpool  late  in  the  afternoon  and  took  a  train  right 
away.  We  traveled  all  night  long  and  arrived  at  this  point  in  Scotland 
(Argday)  at  about  noon  the  next  day.  The  days  here  are  very  long  at  this 
time  of  the  year,  and  they  have  what  is  known  as  the  "English  twilight," 
the  twilight  lasting  until  about  11  o'clock  at  night.  There  is  only  about 
three  hours  of  total  darkness,  as  the  sun  begins  to  rise  again  at  2  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  .  .  .  This  is  a  very  pretty  town  with  mountains  on  all 
sides,  and  is  very  near  the  sea.  It  is  quite  a  distance  north  of  Edinburgh. 
.  .  .  The  spot  where  we  are  located  is  very  unique  because  we  get  the 
benefit  of  the  mountains,  woods,  rivers,  and  also  the  sea  not  far  away,  so 
you  see  you  cannot  beat  the  location.  .  .  .  The  mountains  are  certainly 
wonderful;  when  the  sun  shines  on  them  they  make  one  of  the  prettiest 
sights  I  have  ever  gazed  upon,  —  in  fact,  I  think  they  have  got  our  White 
Mountains  beat  a  mile.  The  weather  has  been  real  dry,  but  the  tempera- 
ture never  rises  very  high.  When  it  reaches  80  degrees  or  over  the  people 
think  it  is  a  very  warm  day. 

The  following  extract  taken  from  the  British  "Board  of 
Trade  Journal,"  an  official  publication  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, is  evidence  of  the  splendid  work  done  by  this  contri- 
bution from  New  England :  — 

In  the  spring  of  1917  it  was  suggested  that  lumbermen  from  the  United 
States  might  also  be  willing  to  help  in  timber  production  in  Britain.    The 

1G4 


idea  was  taken  up  so  heartily  by  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  that  ten  complete  Sawmill  Units  were  raised  and  equipped  with 
mills,  horses  and  all  necessary  impedimenta,  free  of  cost.  These  Sawmill 
Units  are  not  a  military  organization,  the  men  being  under  individual 
contracts  with  the  government.  Considerable  enthusiasm  was  mani- 
fested in  connection  with  the  send-off  of  these  units.  Their  provision  is 
one  of  the  striking  incidents  of  the  story  of  how  the  timber  problem  has 
been  dealt  with.  These  lumbermen  have  more  than  realized  the  high  ex- 
pectations formed  of  their  work,  and  have  put  up  some  remarkable 
records,  their  total  output  being  well  ahead  of  what  was  estimated. 

That  the  enterprise  was  not  one  of  merely  momentary 
interest,  but  was  held  in  appreciative  memory  after  its  con- 
clusion, is  shown  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Lewis  from  the  Controller 
of  Timber  Supplies  of  the  British  Board  of  Trade:  — 

September,  1918. 

Dear  Mr.  Lewis:  —  Now  that  the  work  of  the  Lumber  Units  raised 
by  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety  has  come  to  a  con- 
clusion, consequent  upon  the  enrollment  of  the  men  in  the  L'nited  States 
Forces  for  service  in  France,  I  should  like  to  convey  to  you  my  personal 
appreciation  of  the  work  achieved  by  the  officers  and  the  men  of  these 
units.  I  trust  that  the  sojourn  of  the  men  in  Scotland  was  not  altogether 
unenjoyable,  and  I  need  hardly  say  how  valuable  a  contribution  to  the 
solidarity  of  the  Allied  cause  is  afforded  by  such  work  as  that  performed 
by  the  units. 

My  sincere  thanks  are  also  due  to  you  personally  for  the  very  consider- 
able share  you  took  in  the  work  of  organization. 

Yours  very  truly, 

J.  B.  Ball. 

Surely  when  Lord  Lovat,  so  prominent  a  representative  of 
that  virile  England  long  recognized  as  the  pristine  center  of 
sporting  life,  forgetting  any  insular  prejudices,  allowed  in 
his  enthusiasm  that  the  New  England  Sawmill  Unit  was 
the  sportiest  event  of  the  war,  he  not  only  repaid  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Committee  on  Public  Safety  and  its  supporters 
in  full,  but  touched  that  little  human  chord  that  makes  the 
whole  world  kin. 


165 


CHAPTER  III 

COMMITTEE  ON  MOBILIZATION  OF  SCHOOL   BOYS 

FOR   FARM   SERVICE 

Years  have  elapsed  since  Massachusetts  could  lay  claim 
to  being  an  agricultural  State.  The  multitude  of  farms, 
dotting  plains  and  hillside,  and  once  yielding  a  generous 
livelihood  to  the  farmers,  with  a  little  over  to  meet  emer- 
gencies and  insure  a  comfortable  old  age,  have  year  by  year 
become  fewer  and  fewer,  till  gradually  many  are  abandoned 
either  in  whole  or  in  part.  Our  rapid  industrial  evolution 
out  of  all  proportion  to  the  growth  of  population,  its  demands 
on  labor,  the  ever-increasing  cost  of  living,  the  universal 
advance  in  wages,  the  call  of  the  city,  and  the  paradise  for 
farmers  offered  through  the  development  of  the  vast  acreages 
in  the  West,  were  among  the  more  obvious  and  potent 
causes  to  strip  the  New  England  homestead  of  its  youth. 
In  addition,  better  schools,  with  a  stricter  enforcement  of 
regular  attendance,  and  the  opportunities  offered  by  the 
establishment  of  educational  boards  and  institutions,  ad- 
vanced the  standard  of  our  young  men's  mental  efficiency 
and  gave  them  a  better  knowledge  of  what  the  world  offered. 
All  this  induced  a  restless  ambition  for  a  broader  life  than 
the  conduct  of  the  average  farm  could  supply. 

During  the  late  winter  and  early  spring,  plans  aiming  to 
place  boys  on  farms  sprang  up  apparently  spontaneously  all 
over  the  country,  and  it  has  not  yet  been  definitely  deter- 
mined in  what  section  of  the  country  this  first  originated; 
but  in  Massachusetts  the  movement  to  mobilize  boys  for 
farm  labor  had  its  inception  in  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety.  It  was  the  result  of  a  campaign  conducted  by  that 
organization  in  the  early  spring  of  1917,  the  purpose  of 
which  was  to  enlarge  the  amount  of  cultivated  acreage,  to 
stimulate  home  and  community  gardens,  and  through  every 
vehicle  possible  to  increase  food  production. 

1G6 


Usually  Massachusetts  yields  less  than  one-fifth  of  the 
food  it  requires,  and  about  5  per  cent  only  out  of  a  popula- 
tion of  3,800,000  are  normally  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  The  situation  was  emphasized  in  a  pamphlet 
issued  by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  in  which  it  was 
said:  — 

New  England  has  5,000,000  acres  less  under  tillage  than  she  had  fifty 
years  ago.  Massachusetts  has  54,000  less  cows  than  twenty-five  years  ago. 
Active  farming  in  many  of  our  hill  towns  in  the  western  part  of  the  State 
has  diminished  alarmingly.  The  farming  section  in  Massachusetts  has 
been  harder  hit  in  the  matter  of  labor  than  almost  any  other,  for  the  prox- 
imity of  manufacturing  centers  paying  high  wages  has  caused  a  tremen- 
dous migration  to  the  cities.  Many  small  farms  are  already  vacant  or 
idle  because  the  farmer  and  his  former  workmen  are  manufacturing  ma- 
chines, shoes,  tools  or  munitions.  The  high  price  of  grain  is  driving  dairy- 
men to  the  wall  daily.  Boston  will  probably  be  confronted  with  a  severe 
shortage  of  milk,  and  the  poultrymen  report  to  our  committee  that  50  per 
cent  of  the  flocks  in  some  of  our  best  producing  sections  will  be  slaughtered 
within  the  next  two  months. 

The  campaign  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  for 
school  and  home  gardens,  factory  gardens  and  community 
gardens  met  with  a  prompt  response;  yet  it  was  fully  realized 
that  the  chief  contribution  in  effective  production  of  staple 
crops  must  come  from  farms.  Other  agencies  could  supple- 
ment, but  thereby  only  to  a  very  limited  extent  offset,  the 
food  shortage  and  high  prices  incident  to  the  enormous 
demand  for  export  foodstuffs  and  the  congestion  of  trans- 
portation systems  sure  to  follow. 

Inquiries  conducted  by  county  farm  bureaus,  and  reports 
made  directly  to  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  indicated 
that  the  Massachusetts  farmer  was  not,  as  a  rule,  planning 
to  increase  his  acreage,  flocks  of  poultry,  or  herds  of  cattle 
and  swine.  Many  causes  operated  to  reduce  rather  than 
to  increase  production.  The  high  cost  of  grain,  seed  and 
fertilizer,  and  the  scarcity  of  labor,  occasioned  a  very  dis- 
couraging situation.  One  of  the  most  menacing  difficulties 
to  be  overcome,  perhaps  the  greatest,  was  the  scarcity  and 

167 


high  price  of  farm  labor.  In  fact,  the  Committee  was 
virtually  faced  with  the  contention  on  the  part  of  the  farmer 
that,  "If  you  want  ns  to  raise  more  food  you  must  find  an 
available  labor  supply,  which  we  have  not  been  able  to  dis- 
cover at  a  price  we  can  afford  to  pay." 

Among  other  measures  the  Committee  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing: — 

1.  An  investigation  to  be  conducted  through  the  county  farm  bureaus 
of  the  need  for  labor  on  farms. 

2.  The  encouragement  of  labor  agencies  to  be  created  and  organized 
by  the  county  farm  bureaus. 

3.  Establishment  at  the  State  House  of  a  farm  labor  agency,  to  be 
controlled  by  the  Sub-Committee  on  Food  Production  and  Conservation. 

4.  The  mobilization  of  school  boys  to  meet  the  labor  deficit. 

The  general  scheme  of  mobilization  was  based  on  the 
following  principles :  — 

1.  To  encourage  boys  under  sixteen  to  remain  at  home  to  work  on 
home,  school  and  community  gardens. 

2.  To  enlist  high  school  boys  too  young  for  military  or  navy  service, 
but  old  enough  to  render  a  real  service  on  farms,  and  move  them  where 
farm  labor  is  needed;  making  them  understand  that  enlistment  for  farm 
service  is  in  all  ways  as  patriotic  as  any  other  service  they  could  render 
to  the  Nation's  defense. 

Mr.  Storrow  was  empowered  by  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  to  appoint  a  sub-committee  to  formulate  a  more 
detailed  plan  for  enlistment  and  placement,  —  in  general, 
to  act  as  an  administrative  board. 

At  the  outset  it  was  thought  there  would  be  a  surplus  of 
labor  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  and  that  the  high 
schools  of  the  larger  cities  would  contribute  most  of  the 
boy  labor.  It  was  therefore  planned  to  enlist  boys  in  Suffolk, 
Essex,  Middlesex  and  Norfolk  counties,  and  move  them  to 
the  agricultural  portions  of  the  State  where  labor  was  more 
especially  needed.  A  conference  of  the  superintendents  of 
schools  in  the  cities  of  the  above-named  counties  was  held 
on  April  24,  1917,  and  a  committee  appointed  consisting  of  - 

168 


F.  V.  Thompson,  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Boston,  Chairman. 
C  S.  Clark,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Sonierville. 
Bernard  Sheridan,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Lawrence. 
F.  H.  Nickerson,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Medford. 

The  plans  suggested  by  this  body  received  a  good  deal  of 
newspaper  publicity.  They  were  also  a  leading  feature  of 
the  discussion  at  a  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Superin- 
tendents' Association  held  at  the  State  House  on  April  c27, 
the  general  subject  considered  being  the  work  of  the  schools 
in  war  time.  It  appeared  to  those  in  attendance  that  the 
scheme  for  mobilizing  school  boys  carried  with  it  certain 
advantages  which  ought  to  be  of  general  State-wide  applica- 
tion, and  should  not  be  limited  to  the  eastern  section  of  the 
State.  In  response  to  a  resolution  adopted  at  the  meeting, 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safetv  authorized  the  extension  of 
the  above  measures  throughout  the  State,  and  the  following 
names  were  added  to  the  Committee's  membership  by  Mr. 
Storrow :  — 

W.    I.    Hamilton,    Agent,    Massachusetts    Board   of   Education.    Boston, 

Secretary. 
J.  H.  Van  Sickle,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Springfield. 
C.  G.  Persons,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Pittsfield. 
J.  F.  Gannon,  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Worcester. 

The  Committee  also  received  valuable  assistance  from 
the  following,  who  were  appointed  advisory  members:  — 

Dr.  A.  W.  Gilbert,  Acting  Manager,  Middlesex  Farm  Bureau. 
S.  W.  Parker,  State  Leader,  Farm  Bureaus. 

Prof.  W.  D.  Hurd,  Director,  State  Extension  Service,  Massachusetts  Agri- 
cultural College. 
Prof.  Curry  Hicks,  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College. 
J.  G.  Barnes,  Director  of  Boys'  Work,  Boston  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  full  Committee  never  met  as  a  working  body.  It 
conducted  its  business  mainly  through  correspondence.  For 
the  first  two  or  three  weeks  Messrs.  Thompson,  Clark, 
Sheridan,  Nickerson,  and  Hamilton,  acting  as  an  executive 

169 


committee,  were  at  the  office  in  the  State  House  every  day. 
Mr.  Stephen  R.  Dow  was  specially  assigned  by  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety,  and  with  the  assistance  of  Messrs. 
Hamilton  and  Thompson  carried  on  the  work  under  the 
direction  of  the  Executive  Committee.  Mr.  Dow  succeeded 
Mr.  Hamilton  as  secretary  on  August  1.  The  first  work  of 
the  Committee  was  to  formulate  and  publish  detailed  plans 
and  proposals.  In  a  very  short  time  it  appeared  that  farmers 
were  skeptical  concerning  the  value  of  boys  on  farms.  It 
became  necessary,  therefore,  to  conduct  an  active  propa- 
ganda, and  the  Committee  undertook  to  accomplish  the 
following :  — 

1.  By  correspondence,  personal  interviews  and  public  meetings  to  get 
in  touch  with  local  Committees  on  Public  Safety  and  Committees  on  Con- 
servation of  Food. 

2.  To  secure  from  all  the  school  committees  in  the  State  having  charge 
of  high  schools,  arrangements  whereby  boys  of  sixteen  years  of  age  and 
over  should  be  released,  at  any  time  during  the  spring  and  up  to  October 
1,  whenever  their  services  were  needed  in  agricultural  work. 

3.  To  secure  for  the  boys  an  arrangement  whereby  their  school  stand- 
ing should  not  be  impaired;  and  further,  for  those  who  were  going  to  col- 
lege, recognition  of  this  work  as  emergency  service  in  lieu  of  regular  cer- 
tification or  examination  for  entrance  to  college. 

4.  To  place  boys  on  farms  in  one  of  three  ways:  — 

(a)  To  put  one  or  more  boys  on  individual  farms  when  requested  by 
farmers,  the  boys  to  live  in  the  farmers'  homes. 

(b)  To  arrange  for  co-operation  with  high  schools,  so  that  boys  could 
work  on  farms  in  the  vicinity  when  required,  returning  home  at  night. 

(c)  To  organize  camps,  from  which  boys  would  go  to  work  by  the  day 
or  week  on  the  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  these  camps. 

5.  To  secure  the  co-operation  of  the  county  farm  bureaus  as  a  medium 
of  information,  of  labor  exchange,  and  of  convincing  the  farmers  that  the 
high  school  boys  were  available  and  would  be  of  real  value  in  farm  work. 

In  carrying  out  its  scheme  the  Committee  received  hearty 
co-operation  from  college  authorities,  school  committees, 
superintendents  of  schools  and  high  school  principals,  besides 
valuable  assistance  and  advice  from  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  with 
Mr.  L.  C.  Barnes  as  welfare  director;    and  especially  from 

170 


the  State  Department  of  Health,  whose  district  inspectors 
made  an  examination  of  eaeh  camp  and  offered  suggestions 
for  sanitary  improvement  in  several  camps,  supervising  also 
inoculation  against  typhoid.  The  State  Board  of  Labor  and 
Industries  placed  the  services  of  Dr.  T.  M.  Harrington,  its 
medical  adviser,  at  the  disposal  of  the  Committee.  The 
metropolitan  press  was  also  most  generous  in  the  allotment 
of  space  for  any  material  the  Committee  desired  to  put 
before  the  public.  Through  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Malcolm 
Donald  reliable  information  was  secured  regarding  proper 
sanitation  for  the  boys,  and  also  effective  means  of  inducting 
satisfactory  commissariat  departments  in  the  camps.  In 
general,  college  authorities,  school  committees,  superin- 
tendents of  schools  and  high  school  principals  co-operated 
heartily  in  furthering  all  the  projects  suggested  by  the  Com- 
mittee. 

Unlike  other  States  attempting  a  similar  enterprise,  no 
public  funds  were  appropriated  in  Massachusetts  for  the 
mobilization  of  school  boys.  The  whole  venture,  except  the 
office  expenses,  —  which  were  under  the  supervision  of 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  - —  was  financed  by  private 
subscription.  The  willingness  of  several  municipal  State 
offices  to  co-operate  in  the  movement  by  releasing  the  time 
of  such  members  of  the  Committee  as  were  in  their  service, 
indicated  the  prevailing  spirit  in  Massachusetts  regarding 
all  war  emergencies. 

The  boys  were  placed  on  farms  in  the  three  different  ways 
above  stated.  Relatively  few  requests  came  to  the  central 
office  for  single  boys.  Such  as  did  come  were  filled  by 
the  supervisors  resident  in  the  locality  of  the  prospective 
employer. 

The  advantages  in  this  connection  to  the  boys,  the  schools 
and  the  farmers  were  as  follows :  — 

1.  A  labor  group  was  organized  and  made  available  such  as  the  fanner 
could  readily  reach.  Boys  were  available  in  larger  numbers  than  hereto- 
fore. 

•-2.  By  the  organization  of  a  State-wide  plan  it  was  possible  to  induce 

171 


many  school  committees  to  release  boys  on  full  time  prior  to  the  close  of 
school:  to  allow  them  to  remain  after  the  schools  opened  in  the  fall;  and 
to  make  suitable  arrangements  for  the  continuance  of  their  education. 

3.  The  Committee  also  secured  for  all  boys  in  farm  service  under  its 
terms  of  enlistment  a  satisfactory  status  for  admission  to  college. 

Many  boys  were  released  to  work  on  the  farms  by  the 
day,  but  lived  in  their  own  homes.  Such  work  was  super- 
vised by  local  school  authorities,  and  contributed  enormously 
to  focd  production  in  their  respective  neighborhoods.  While 
the  work  in  camps  was  more  picturesque,  and  attracted 
more  attention  and  publicity,  special  honor  is  due  those 
boys  who,  without  the  incentive  that  came  through  camp 
life,  stuck  manfully  to  their  tasks  throughout  the  summer. 
In  many  instances  this  indirectly  entailed  a  distinct  financial 
loss,  for  nearly  every  boy  could  have  obtained  a  higher  wage 
in  some  other  employment.  The  superintendents  of  schools 
and  the  teachers  acting  as  supervisors  performed  a  use- 
ful, frequently  difficult  and  always  additional  duty  without 
extra  pay.  The  amount  of  self-sacrifice  and  true  patriotism 
exhibited  by  both  boys  and  men  was  fully  realized  and 
appreciated,  not  only  by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety, 
but  by  all  in  any  wise  cognizant  of  the  excellent  work  done. 

Except  in  cases  where  close  and  constant  supervision  of 
boys  was  possible,  or  where  the  parent  would  assume  the 
responsibility  for  a  boy's  welfare,  the  Committee  did  not 
advise  sending  boys  away  from  home  to  work  on  isolated 
farms.  The  method  of  placing  boys  through  camps  proved 
to  be,  in  the  opinion  of  all  who  watched  the  experiment,  the 
most  successful  way  of  taking  labor  from  the  place  where  a 
large  surplus  existed  to  the  place  where  it  was  needed. 
There  were  many  reasons  for  this,  among  them :  — 

1.  The  possibility  of  personal  oversight  of  the  boy  during  his  out-of- 
work  hours,  and  supervision  of  his  food,  gave  a  reasonable  guarantee  for 
his  safety,  and  made  a  strong  appeal  to  parents,  so  that  it  became  possible 
to  enlist  the  services  of  boys  whose  parents  would  be  unwilling  to  have 
them  go  into  the  country  on  isolated  farms  and  without  responsible 
supervision. 

172 


2.  By  locating  the  boys  with  an  established  commissary  in  one  place, 
it  was  possible  to  relieve  farmers'  homes  from  any  necessity  of  making 
provision  for  food  and  lodging. 

3.  The  "team"  spirit  which  was  found  to  be  fostered  through  the  camp 
carried  the  boy  through  many  periods  of  discouragement,  notably  when 
the  work  became  monotonous  and  uninteresting. 

4.  A  properly  organized  and  well-administered  camp  will  have  behind 
it  the  interest  of  at  least  two  communities,  —  the  one  in  which  the  boys 
arc  working,  and  the  one  from  which  they  come.  Out  of  this  group  interest 
many  advantages  may  be  developed,  —  social,  economic  and  educational, 
all  of  great  value  to  the  parties  concerned. 

On  the  whole,  high  school  boys  were  enthusiastic,  and 
, enrolled  for  service  in  large  numbers,  but  there  was  not  at 
the  outset  a  corresponding  demand  from  farmers  for  boy 
labor.  By  personal  conferences,  however,  with  farmers  and 
farm  organizations,  sufficient  interest  was  aroused  to  warrant 
establishing  in  the  summer  of  1917  a  limited  number  of 
camps,  and  for  these  the  Committee,  together  with  members 
of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  and  a  number  of  public- 
spirited  individuals,  secured  both  locations  and  equipment, 
meeting  all  charges  for  the  same  and  later  paying  for  the 
running  expenses  as  well. 

Camps  were  established  in  the  following  towns :  — 


Bolton. 

Concord. 

Egypt. 

Essex. 

Groton. 

Ipswich. 

Lenox. 


Lincoln. 

Marblehead. 

Plymouth. 

Stockbridge. 

Topsfield. 

Walpole,  N.  H. 

Weston  (3). 


In  addition,  the  Committee  had  co-operative  relations, 
but  not  supervision  of  camps,  under  other  managements, 
three  being  under  the  direction  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

Had  the  Committee  begun  its  labors  earlier  in  the  first 
season,  1917,  and  been  thereby  enabled  to  meet  personally 
more  farmers'  organizations,  it  is  probable  that  many  addi- 
tional camps  would  have  been  established  that  year,  and  at 
least  twice  as  many  boys  employed. 

173 


In  every  town  where  a  camp  was  located  an  attempt  was 
made  to  secure  a  group  of  public-spirited  people  interested 
in  the  welfare  of  the  boys,  and  to  utilize  all  such  community 
resources  as  were  available.  For  example,  in  the  town  of 
Bolton  the  hoys  were  housed  in  a  building  belonging  to  the 
agricultural  society;  in  Topsfield  a  building  on  the  fair 
grounds  was  used  for  a  mess  shack  and  kitchen;  in  Concord 
a  carriage  house  was  secured  for  general  quarters.  Through 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  three  hundred  second-hand 
militia  tents  were  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Committee. 
As  a  rule,  most  of  the  boys  slept  in  tents.  A  considerable 
amount  of  money,  in  part  contributed  from  local  sources 
and  the  remainder  from  funds  put  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Committee,  was  invested  in  cooking  equipment,  dishes, 
cots  and  other  camp  necessities. 

The  management  of  the  camps,  the  first  year,  was  by 
volunteers,  with  the  advisory  assistance  of  local  school 
officials;  that  is  to  say,  the  Committee,  having  secured  a 
site  and  a  promise  of  employment  for  boys,  equipped  or 
assisted  in  equipping  the  camp.  It  also  selected  the  high 
school  from  which  the  boys  were  to  be  detailed.  The  local 
school  authorities  were  asked  to  appoint  a  supervisor  of  a 
camp,  to  pay  him  a  modest  stipend,  and  to  detail  the  boys 
for  service,  thus  putting  the  responsibility  for  the  labor  in 
every  case  on  the  school  from  which  the  boy  was  taken. 

The  success  of  a  camp  depended  very  largely  upon  the 
efficiency  of  the  supervisor.  He  was  responsible,  not  only 
for  the  supervision  of  the  boys  in  a  disciplinary  way,  the 
distribution  of  their  labor,  buying  food  and  managing  the 
details  of  the  commissary,  but  saw  to  it  that  the  boys  were 
kept  in  good  condition,  and  that  both  they  and  the  farmers 
got  a  square  deal.  It  was  an  arduous  and  responsible 
position  when  the  number  of  boys  was  over  twenty,  as  was 
the  case  in  most  of  the  camps.  In  a  few  of  the  camps, 
where  employers  boarded  the  boys,  the  duties  were  less 
onerous. 

For  lack  of  space  only  two  camps  are  discussed.     These 

174 


9b, 


■r^*m 


-  .1 


m&i    .  mm 


At  Scituate 


At  Feeding  Hills,  Springfield 


are  typical  examples,  however,  of  what  could  be  done  when 
the  right  spirit  of  co-operation  and  helpfulness  was  developed 
by  all  the  parties  interested. 

The  Bolton  Camp.  —  Three  members  of  the  Committee, 
by  previous  arrangement,  met  one  evening  at  a  gathering  of 
farmers  at  Bolton.  The  camp  project  was  put  before  them 
in  detail,  and  in  response  to  a  suggestion  from  the  Com- 
mittee a  local  committee  was  appointed.  The  principal  of 
the  high  school  from  which  it  was  proposed  to  draw  the 
boys  impressed  upon  the  meeting  that  the  boys  to  be  sent 
from  his  school  should  be  the  kind  of  boys  the  town  would 
be  proud  of.  Arrangements  were  completed  by  the  local 
committee  to  obtain  the  use  of  a  large  building  belonging  to 
the  Agricultural  Society,  and  a  certain  amount  of  equipment 
was  furnished  by  the  town.  When  the  camp  opened  there 
was  employment  in  sight  for  ten  boys.  The  camp  grew 
rapidly,  and  by  the  latter  part  of  the  season  it  numbered 
over  thirty  boys.  For  the  most  part,  boys  were  employed 
throughout  the  summer  on  small  farms  within  the  limits  of 
the  town. 

In  summing  up  the  results  of  this  camp,  the  manager  of 
the  largest  farm  in  the  vicinity  put  the  matter  in  this  wise:  — - 

This  Bolton  camp  experiment  has  accomplished  three  things:  — 

1.  It  has  given  a  more  or  less  discouraged  group  of  farmers  a  new  view 
of  their  own  possibilities  and  the  possibilities  of  their  farms. 

2.  By  bringing  a  supply  of  seasonal  labor  when  needed,  it  has  enabled 
the  farmer  to  increase  his  acreage  one-third  to  one-half,  and  has  insured 
the  proper  cultivation  of  the  crops  at  an  expense  he  can  afford. 

3.  It  has  been  one  of  the  most  valuable  parts  of  the  city  boy's  educa- 
tion, in  that  it  has  given  him  a  first-hand  experience  in  production  which 
he  could  get  in  no  other  way. 

The  Concord  Camp.  —  The  Concord  camp  was  located  in 
a  different  type  of  community,  but  was  no  less  successful. 
Fifty  to  sixty  boys  were  employed  in  the  town  throughout 
the  summer;  of  these,  thirty -five  to  fifty  were  housed  at 
the  camp.  The  boys  worked  mostly  on  truck  farms,  thereby 
coming   in   contact    with    the   commercial    farmer   and   his 

175 


problems.  The  immediate  value  of  the  labor  employed  to 
cultivate  and  market  the  produce  made  the  Concord  camp 
one  of  real  success  from  an  economic  standpoint. 

Both  the  Bolton  and  the  Concord  camps  were  typical  of 
the  best  results  as  the  Committee  viewed  the  season's  work. 

At  the  very  beginning  the  Committee  was  confronted  with 
the  vexed  problem  of  child  labor  and  the  laws  governing  its 
use.  There  was  a  general  fear,  amounting  to  conviction, 
that  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty  could  the  country 
organize  its  labor  resources  so  as  to  conserve  its  industries, 
transportation  and  agriculture  for  effective  prosecution  of 
the  war.  On  this  account  many  States  passed  laws  tempo- 
rarily suspending  the  statutes  dealing  with  the  employment 
of  women  and  children.  "The  Survey"  of  August  4,  1917, 
referring  to  the  Commonwealth  Defence  Act  passed  May 
26,  made  the  following  statement :  — 

Massachusetts  created  a  commission  of  five  persons  with  power  to  sus- 
pend any  law  licensing  or  regulating  labor  or  the  employment  of  labor,  or 
any  law  affecting  in  any  manner  the  conditions  of  labor.  This  power  can 
be  exercised  only  upon  the  application  of  an  employer  who  declares  that 
a  law  of  the  sort  described  interferes  with  work  that  he  is  doing,  and  that 
it  is  required  by  an  emergency  arising  out  of  the  war.  The  law  applies, 
moreover,  only  for  the  duration  of  the  war  and  six  mouths  thereafter. 

During  the  week  of  April  28  the  National  Child  Labor 
Committee  published  a  circular  containing  full  statements 
and  proposals  for  placing  boys  on  farms.  During  the  same 
week  the  Massachusetts  Committee  was  engaged  in  formu- 
lating its  proposals  entirely  independently. 

The  two  plans  differed  somewhat  in  detail  but  not  in 
spirit.  The  Massachusetts  Committee  soon  realized  that  to 
put  children  on  farms  without  supervision,  unless  the  need 
were  positive,  would  be  wasteful;  that  no  demand  whatever 
for  inexperienced  boy  labor  existed,  but  that  it  had  to  be 
created;  and  that  only  boys  of  sixteen  years  of  age  and 
over  ought  to  be  enlisted,  and  only  from  May  1  to  October. 
It  was  also  satisfactorily  demonstrated  that  their  hours  of 

170 


iJi 


•i 


•    ..^#*' ■-■■ 

■      -; 


^ft^is^^gf^S 


At  Marblehead 


At  Hudson 


labor  should  be  adjusted  to  special  conditions,  such  as  local 
demand,  emergency  conditions,  the  state  of  the  weather, 
etc.,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  fix  absolutely  an 
eight-hour  working  day  throughout  the  State,  although  a 
maximum  number  of  hours  per  week  could  be  maintained 
without  any  hardship,  provided  the  work  was  properly 
supervised. 

Early  in  1917  the  United  States  Department  of  Labor  sug- 
gested to  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  that  the  work 
being  done  by  the  Committee  on  Mobilization  of  School 
Boys  for  Farm  Service  be  merged  with  that  of  the  United 
States  Boys'  Working  Reserve,  an  organization  which  was 
about  to  be  formed  by  the  Department.  Now  the  -boys 
already  mobilized  in  Massachusetts  were  under  contract 
up  to  October.  Further,  the  plan  of  the  Working  Reserve 
comprehended  the  enlistment  of  any  boy  between  the  speci- 
fied ages,  whether  a  school  boy  or  not,  whereas  the  Massa- 
chusetts plan  comprehended  only  the  placement  of  high 
school  boys.  Still  further,  the  Boys'  Working  Reserve  had 
adopted  the  following  principle:  'The  Nation  needs  boys 
in  many  lines  of  endeavor  other  than  agriculture,  and  boys 
will  be  enrolled  for  the  kind  of  work  to  which  each  applicant 
and  boy's  training  and  temperament  is  best  suited." 

But  the  Massachusetts  plan  originated  and  was  being 
carried  forward  solely  as  a  measure  for  helping  farmers.  At 
no  time  did  the  Committee  on  Mobilization  of  School  Boys, 
or  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  wish  to  depart  from  this 
plan. 

Eventually,  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  after  much 
correspondence  with  Washington,  voted  to  unite  with  the 
United  States  Boys'  Working  Reserve,  provided  the  Reserve 
accepted  the  method  of  organization,  purposes  and  policies 
of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  without  enlarging  its 
scope  of  activity,  and  further  stipulating  that  the  chairman 
of  the  committee,  Mr.  F.  V.  Thompson,  be  appointed  State 
Director. 

During  November  and  December,  1917,  an  honorable  dis- 

177 


charge  signed  by  Governor  McCall  an<l  Chairman  Storrow 
was  presented  to  each  of  the  1,600  boys,  all  of  whom  had 
well  earned  this  recognition  by  faithful  farm  work  during 
the  season  of  1917. 

During  the  season  of  1917  the  mobilization  of  boys  for 
farm  service  had  been  in  a  great  measure  experimental. 
Although  the  venture  was  successful  beyond  anticipation, 
nevertheless  mistakes  had  been  made,  and  the  Committee 
studied  painstakingly  to  avoid  their  recurrence  in  the  future. 

The  report  of  the  original  Committee,  under  date  of 
October  1,  1917,  contained  the  following  recommenda- 
tions:^— 

I.     ^That  the  work  begun  during  the  current  year  be  continued  through 

1918,  and  that  plans  be  made  for  50  camps. 
II.     A  reorganization  of  the  methods  of  conducting  the  work,  involv- 
ing— 

A.  Slight  modifications  of  the  plans  for  individual  placements  on 

farms. 

B.  Complete    reorganization    of    the    control    of    placements    by 

camps :  — 

1.  Direct  connection  with  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Pub- 

lic Safety  Committee. 

2.  State  support. 

3.  A  salaried  director  on  full  time. 

4.  Training  classes  for  supervisors  and  camp  cooks. 

5.  Appointment  of  supervisors. 

6.  Standardization   of   camp   equipment,   supplies,    commissary 

and  business  methods. 
III.     That  the  director  have  his  office  with  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety,  and  serve  as  its  responsible  agent  in  all  matters  of 
policy  and  action  connected  with  boys'  camps. 

In  accordance  with  these  recommendations,  made  by  the 
Committee  and  approved  by  the  Executive  Committee,  Mr. 
Storrow  appointed,  in  the  autumn  of  1917,  the  following  as 
members  of  a  new  Committee  on  School  Boys  for  Farm 
Service  for  the  season  of  1918:  — 

Frank  V.  Thompson,  Chairman,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Boston. 
W.  I.  Hamilton,  Secretary  pro  tern.,  State  Board  of  Education. 

178 


# 


COMMITTEE.  ON   PUBLIC  SAFETY 

Department  ot  Mobilization  ol  School  Boys  for  Farm  Service 

Be  il  known   £%*/    .Jfesfas/  fr?<-f+y/>'&      y  L/u?/*ed/<*& 

xJUiSmMmittti,   larimf    m*ifi*nJ*J  (•  /A*  r*d<  /<-<   n/<M«m  dfdmJmy  Oi.   *«■*.»+/,»<'     4y 
******  —..'-   (tU      '/**». (m,*t  */■   H.U.jat.*n   */ 5M~/  &yd  f*m   9*w»   9~+ie*.   Ud 

Patriotically  Served  Commonwealth  and  Nation 

am  J  Aatnf   -*//  amJ  twmtf  **m/k/.*J  m.ti  a//  U*  fmJUUmd   amdf  mitt    ~«/</  tvmfUmfU  ttU  fmmm  «/  lu 
*m/tjfm*mt,   id  A*m+iy 

.    .4    /.(Ac  **idf*m*»  */Uu  /kmtwJdfk 

- ' ■  r  ■  -    A*    id    m***Ay    ama  wt/*m     (m* 


Honorably   Discharged 


.,/- 


•■■;■>■/' 


ty  Aim 


Cifmemt    amj  id  amt/\.w,;t<J  U  — —  it 
At**i/trr   ajkmm   at/  AmeA**   *c*adi*m4 


MHUHH  JIBaBBajgBIIIB 


Certificate  of  Honorable  Discharge 


Boy's  Camp,  Stockbridge 


R.  Edwards  Aiiuiii,  Jr.,  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 

Stephen  R.  Dow,  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

George  H.  Lanen,  Labor  Editor,  "Boston  Post." 

James  J.  Storrow,  Chairman,  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

John  D.  Willard,  Secretary,  Board  of  Food  Administration. 

This  Committee  met  November  30  and  elected  Mr. 
Stephen  R.  Dow,  director  and  secretary,  at  the  same  time 
requesting  the  United  States  Secretary  of  Labor  to  appoint 
Mr.  Dow  State  Director  of  the  United  States  Boys'  Working 
Reserve.    This  appointment  directly  followed. 

An  advisory  committee  was  subsequently  named,  as 
follows :  — 

Charles  S.  Clark,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Somerville. 

John  E.  DeMeyer,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Bridgewater  and  Abington. 

Clarence  A.  Dempsey,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Haverhill. 

John  R.  Fausey,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  West  Springfield. 

Francis  McSherry,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Holyoke. 

John  F.  Scully,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Brockton. 

E.  F.  Howard,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Northfield. 

Sumner  R.  Parker,  County  Agent  Leader. 

D.  W.  O'Brien,  Board  of  Agriculture. 

Rufus  W.  Stimson,  Agent,  Board  of  Education. 

E.  A.  Hackett,  Bolton. 
Gordon  Hutchins,  Concord. 

Leslie  R.  Smith,  Master,  State  Grange,  Hadley. 

C.  D.  Richardson,  West  Brookfield. 

H.  W.  Gibson,  Secretary,  State  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Boston. 

Dr.  Thomas  F.  Harrington,  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries,  Boston. 

Mr.  Hamilton  resigned  from  the  Committee  March  8, 
1918,  and  Mr.  R.  W.  Stimson  of  the  State  Board  of  Educa- 
tion was  appointed  in  his  place. 

A  series  of  training  classes  for  prospective  camp  super- 
visors were  held  at  the  State  House  on  Saturday  afternoons, 
beginning  February  16,  and  continuing  on  the  five  Saturdays 
following.  These  gatherings  were  attended  by  some  sixty 
teachers  from  the  schools  throughout  the  State.  The 
director,  Mr.  Dow,  assisted  by  some  of  the  men  who  had 
supervised   the  camps   the  previous   summer,   covered   the 

179 


following  subjects:  finances,  discipline,  recreation,  camp 
routine,  equipment,  community  co-operation,  etc.  Through 
the  courtesy  of  Boston  University  all  who  attended  these 
classes  were  invited  to  a  course  of  lectures  on  camps,  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Walter  S.  Cowing  at  the  University. 

The  training  of  some  fifty  high  school  boys  for  cam}) 
cooks  was  undertaken  in  the  kitchen  of  the  North  Bennet 
Street  Industrial  School,  the  entire  necessary  equipment  for 
which  was  generously  donated.  From  this  training  class 
twenty-five  boys  were  selected  and  assigned  as  cooks  to  the 
various  camps.  While  a  few  of  these  eventually  proved 
unequal  to  the  task,  the  majority  went  through  the  season 
successfully.  The  cook's  wages,  $15  a  week  and  board, 
were  charged  to  the  camp  maintenance  account,  which 
otherwise  related  solely  to  food,  expenditure  for  the  boys 
and  the  salary  of  the  supervisor. 

Mr.  Dow  visited  sixty-eight  high  schools  during  the 
winter  and  spring,  attended  meetings  of  thirty-six  school 
boards,  and  addressed  many  gatherings  of  farm  and  local 
public  safety  committees  on  the  subject  of  school  boys  on 
farms  and  the  United  States  Boys'  Working  Reserve.  He 
also  inspected  many  prospective  camp  sites. 

An  allowance  of  $4,000  from  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  was  set  aside  for  expenses  from  October  1,  1917,  to 
May  1,  1918,  of  which  amount  $3,714.99  was  actually  ex- 
pended. On  April  24,  1918,  an  additional  $46,000  was 
allotted  by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  this  being  part 
of  an  allowance  of  $100,000  voted  by  the  Legislature  for 
the  stimulation  of  food  production,  etc. 

Twenty-five  hundred  boys  were  placed  on  farms  in  the 
summer  of  1918,  compared  with  1,600  in  1917.  Fanners 
generally  were  more  willing  to  hire  boys,  and  the  boys  them- 
selves proved  more  satisfactory  than  during  the  previous 
summer.  Nine  hundred  boys  were  placed  in  20  camps,  the 
number  in  each  varying  from  a  minimum  of  25  to  a  maximum 
of  110.  The  larger  camps  were  provided  with  additional 
supervisors  and  cooks.     Of  the  20  camps  established,   17 

180 


were  operated  successfully  for  the  season,  and  3  were  closed 
for  lack  of  support  by  the  fanners  in  their  districts. 

From  reports  sent  in  by  fanners,  based  on  the  cost  of 
labor  for  each  $1,000  worth  of  farm  products  raised,  it  is 
evident  that  these  2,500  boys  added  nearly  $2,000,000  to 
the  supply  of  farm  products  in  Massachusetts  during  the 
year  1918.  Reports  on  COO  boys  showed  they  earned  $100,000 
during  the  summer,  —  an  average  of  $166.66  per  boy.  Many 
bought  thrift  stamps  and  Liberty  Bonds  with  these  earnings. 

The  boys  were  enrolled  in  the  high  schools  of  the  Com- 
monwealth by  a  special  officer,  nominated  by  the  principal 
of  each  school  and  officially  appointed  by  Mr.  Dow. 

Manj^  of  the  school  officials  released  selected  boys  on 
May  1,  and  their  services  became  available  until  October 
12.  Others  were  enrolled  for  the  vacation  period  only ;  that 
is,  from  July  1  to  September  1.  Employed  boys,  and  boys 
no  longer  attending  school,  were  enrolled  at  the  State  House 
by  the  State  Director.  Wherever  possible,  groups  of  boys 
from  the  same  school,  with  one  or  more  of  their  own  teachers 
as  supervisors,  were  assigned  a  camp.  Where  this  arrange- 
ment was  not  possible  several  groups  were  combined.  The 
single  group  proved  the  more  satisfactory. 

The  teacher  supervisors  were  released  by  the  schools,  and 
were  given  their  board  at  the  camps  in  addition  to  the  $50 
per  month  which  they  had  from  the  State  appropriation. 

Camp  equipment,  medical  attendance,  supervision  and 
transportation  were  provided  by  the  State,  but  the  camps 
themselves  were  self-supporting,  the  boys  paying  for  the 
camp  food  and  cook's  wages,  the  average  weekly  expense 
being  $5.18  per  boy.  Wages  varied  in  different  sections, 
ranging  from  $1.50  to  $3.50  per  day,  depending  on  the 
ability  of  the  boy  and  the  point  of  view  of  the  farmer.  The 
more  successful  fanners  paid  the  highest  wages. 

Through  the  splendid  co-operation  of  the  State  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
supervision  of  the  boy  on  the  individual  farm  was  success- 
fully accomplished;  and  supervision  is  three-quarters  of  the 
"boy  on  the  farm"  problem. 

181 


The  outcome  of  Director  Dow's  and  Mr.  Thompson's 
efforts  in  the  formation  and  management  of  the  Committee 
to  Mobilize  Boys  for  Farm  Service,  so  helpful  as  a  war 
measure  and  successful  as  it  proved  to  be,  was  not  simply 
the  immediate  and  very  excellent  results  obtained.  The 
whole  scheme,  from  start  to  finish,  though  a  new  departure, 
ought  under  a  like  management,  when  backed  by  permanent 
legal  authority,  to  serve  as  a  basis  to  resuscitate  our  decadent 
New  England  farming  by  supplying  a  growing  need  through 
a  new  source,  and  at  the  same  time  broaden  the  character, 
outlook  and  interest  of  a  large  and  important  contingent  of 
our  youth. 


182 


CHAPTER  IV 

COMMITTEE   ON   WAR   EFFICIENCY 

The  latter  part  of  November,  1917,  the  Massachusetts 
Committee  on  Public  Safety  was  requested  by  the  Council 
of  National  Defense  to  organize  a  Committee  on  War 
Efficiency,  the  chairman  of  which  was  subsequently  to  be 
appointed  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Labor  to  the 
office  of  director  for  Massachusetts  of  the  United  States 
Public  Service  Reserve  and  the  United  States  Employment 
Service.    The  Committee  appointed  was  as  follows:  — 

William  A.  Gaston,  Chairman. 


Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 
William  M.  Butler. 
B.  Preston  Clark. 
W.  Murray  Crane. 
Henry  I.  Harriman. 
Robert  F.  Herriek. 
Martin  T.  Joyce. 


James  Logan. 
Arthur  Lyman. 
Walter  L.  McMenimen. 
Joseph  B.  Russell. 
John  F.  Stevens. 
Edward  F.  McSweeney, 

Executive  Secretary. 


This  body,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Massachusetts  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety,  was  to  represent  the  State  in  all 
war  labor  problems  as  they  arose  during  the  war,  its  life  to 
terminate  with  the  war. 

When  the  Committee  was  formed,  it  was  with  the  under- 
standing that  the  war  labor  program  of  the  United  States 
government  should  be  under  the  control  and  direction  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defense,  and  follow  the  same  general 
plan  of  organization  as  the  United  States  Food  and  Fuel 
Adm  inistrat  ions . 

The  Committee  was  confronted  by  several  exacting  prob- 
lems. It  at  once  decided  on  two  points:  First,  that  the 
war   labor   organization   in   Massachusetts   should   be   con- 

183 


> t  nicted  not  only  to  assist  in  the  transfer  of  labor  from 
peace  to  war  purposes,  but  that  it  might  also  be  available 
for  the  purpose  of  war  readjustment  and  retransfer  back 
from  war  to  peace;  and  with  this  end  in  view  to  provide 
while  the  war  was  still  in  progress,  as  far  as  humanly  possible, 
for  the  employment  of  soldiers  and  sailors  on  their  discharge. 
Secondly,  that  no  new  agency  should  be  created  if  the  end 
sought  could  be  accomplished  with  the  co-operation  of  an 
existing  department  of  the  State. 

At  the  time  the  Committee  was  formed,  no  great  difficulty 
existed  in  securing  workmen  for  war  or  any  other  kind  of 
work.  There  was,  in  fact,  from  November,  1917,  to  April, 
1918,  a  surplus  of  unemployed  labor  in  Massachusetts,  due 
to  the  seasonal  unemployment  normally  expected  during 
the  winter  months,  and  also  because  of  the  disorganization 
of  industry  as  a  result  of  the  war. 

The  Fore  River  Shipbuilding  Corporation,  the  year  follow- 
ing the  entry  of  the  United  States  into  the  conflict,  was  able 
from  the  available  labor  supply  to  multiply  its  Quincy  plant 
five  times.  During  the  winter  of  1917-18  there  was  no 
special  demand  for  shipyard  labor  other  than  skilled  ship- 
workers,  and  during  the  first  week  of  April,  1918,  more  than 
5,000  persons  applied  for  employment  at  the  intelligence 
offices  in  Boston  alone. 

Keeping  always  in  mind  the  certainty  that  the  end  of  the 
war  was  likely  to  bring  peace  problems  of  even  more  impor- 
tance than  those  of  war,  the  Committee  drew  up  a  program, 
approved  by  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  and  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  which  pro- 
vided for  labor  placement  offices;  the  safeguarding  and  train- 
ing of  women  in  war  industries;  the  Americanization  of 
aliens;  housing;  transportation;  education  and  training 
for  war  labor;  health;  control  over  idle  and  casual  labor; 
and  industrial  and  man  power  statistics,  etc. 

To  insure  the  best  results  through  a  practical  and  scientific 
program,  skilled  experts  and  specialists  were  appointed, 
forming  Advisory  Committees  on:  — 

184 


Labor  Employment  Agencies. 
Women  in  Industry. 
Aliens  in  Industry. 
Housing  and  Transportation. 
Capital  Expenditure. 


Training  in  Industry. 
Health  in  Industry. 
Idle  and  Casual  Labor. 
Industrial  Man  Power  Survey 
Publicity. 


These  Committees,  whose  services  were  gratuitously  given, 
began  in  the  latter  part  of  December,  1917,  consideration  of 
the  various  topics  assigned  them,  serving  for  eight  months 
and  until  August,  1918,  at  which  time  the  work,  as  will  be 
seen,  was  taken  over  on  a  paid  basis  by  the  United  States 
Department  of  Labor. 

While  the  process  of  organization  of  war  labor  problems 
proceeded  uninterruptedly  in  Massachusetts  during  the 
first  six  months  of  1918,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  delay  at 
Washington,  due  to  a  dispute  as  to  which  national  authority 
the  work  properly  belonged.  This  question  was  finally 
decided  by  putting  the  matter  under  the  charge  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Labor.  On  February  14,  1918, 
Mr.  Gaston  was  appointed  Massachusetts  Director  of  the 
United  States  Public  Service  Reserve,  and  subsequently 
director  for  the  Commonwealth  of  the  L^nited  States  Employ- 
ment Service. 

Under  the  supervision  of  the  Committee  the  labor  program 
as  worked  out  and  recommended  by  the  various  Advisory 
Committees  began  at  once  to  be  effective.  The  State  was 
organized,  and  representatives  of  the  Committee  secured  in 
every  municipality  of  any  size.  By  March  1,  1918,  more 
than  GOO  persons  in  Massachusetts,  unpaid,  were  giving 
practically  all  their  time  to  the  work  of  the  United  States 
Public  Service  Reserve.  In  addition,  about  700  officials  of 
labor  unions  acted  as  local  agents  within  their  respective 
trades.  At  the  State  House,  for  seven  continuous  months, 
from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  volunteers,  mostly  women,  worked 
eight  hours  a  day. 

At  the  request  of  the  United  States  Shipping  Board  an 
appeal  was  made  in  March,  1918,  for  volunteer  shipyard 
enrollment.    In  four  weeks,  due  to  the  generous  co-operation 


185 


of  volunteer  assistants,  an  enrollment  of  c28,000  mechanics 
was  obtained,  being  double  the  quota  asked  of  Massachusetts. 
The  excess  registered  in  Massachusetts  over  the  quota 
equaled,  in  fact,  the  entire  quota  assigned  to  New  England, 
while  in  character  of  personnel  the  Massachusetts  enroll- 
ment was  not  excelled  by  any  State  in  the  Union. 

With  the  co-operation  of  the  Boston  School  Committee 
and  the  Clerical  High  School,  all  application  cards  in  response 
to  the  appeal  were  classified  under  twenty  major  and  seventy- 
two  minor  trade  divisions,  and  made  available  for  reference 
by  cities,  towns  and  counties. 

In  April,  May  and  June  a  drive  for  emergency  farm  labor 
was  carried  on  with  moderate  success. 

Programs  for  Americanization,  war  housing  and  trans- 
portation, training  in  industry,  education  and  health  in 
industry  were  worked  out  by  the  various  Advisory  Com- 
mittees. A  law  extending  the  scope  and  activities  of  voca- 
tional schools  and  evening  schools  was  drafted  by  the  Com- 
mittee and  enacted  by  the  Legislature. 

An  idle  and  casual  labor  program  was  worked  out,  and  in 
accordance  therewith,  under  chapter  286,  General  Acts  of 
1918,  it  was  made  compulsory  for  every  able-bodied  male 
between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  fifty  to  engage  in  some 
useful  occupation. 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  Advisory  Committee  on  Capital 
Expenditure,  a  large  amount  of  building  construction,  which, 
if  begun,  would  have  impeded  the  program  of  war  activities, 
was  delayed  or  modified. 

Under  the  joint  direction  of  Mr.  Gaston,  and  Mr.  B.  J. 
Rothwell,  chairman  of  the  State  Bureau  of  Immigration, 
together  with  the  co-operation  of  the  Advisory  Committee 
on  Americanization,  a  questionnaire  was  issued  to  all  aliens 
working  in  Massachusetts'  factories  employing  fifty  or 
more  persons.  This  was  done  in  order  to  ascertain  the 
number  of  aliens,  their  nationality,  ability  to  speak,  to 
read  and  write  English,  and  their  intentions  regarding 
citizenship,  etc.    The  result  gave  a  definite  idea  of  the  extent 

186 


of  this  problem,  and  was  a  decided  contribution  to  a  most 
important  question. 

A  survey  of  the  amount  and  kind  of  power  used  by  manu- 
facturing industries  in  Massachusetts  was  made  by  the 
Committee  in  co-operation  with  the  Boston  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  and  under  the  direct  supervision  of  its  president. 

In  co-operation  with  the  State  Bureau  of  Statistics,  a  list 
of  all  manufacturers  in  the  State  employing  fifty  or  more 
persons  was  made,  and  was  used  as  a  basis  for  war  labor 
correspondence  with  Massachusetts  employers. 

By  May,  1918,  all  the  unemployed  to  be  found  within 
fhe  Commonwealth  were  at  work,  and  there  began  to  be  an 
unfulfilled  demand  for  labor  of  all  sorts.  Women,  replacing 
men,  were  being  taken  into  industry  in  large  numbers,  and 
each  successive  draft  made  the  demand  for  labor  more 
acute. 

The  Committee  then  worked  out  and  offered  a  program 
providing  for  war  labor  transfer,  which  should  act  as  the 
basis  for  after-the-war  reconstruction.  This  plan,  after- 
wards adopted,  and  still  later  elaborated  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Labor,  was  included  in  the  War  Community  Board 
program,  by  which  local  control  of  the  various  problems 
involved  was  concentrated  under  local  community  boards. 

About  July,  1918,  by  direction  of  the  United  States  De- 
partment of  Labor,  the  following  Executive  Committee  was 
chosen :  — 

William  A.  Gaston,  Chairman. 

Alfred  A.  Glidden  and  Albert  R.  White,  representing  management.' 

Martin  T.  Joyce  and  William  A.  Nealy,  representing  labor. 

This  body  established  thirty-five  branch  employment 
offices  in  Massachusetts,  and  appointed  about  two  score 
local  community  boards,  each  of  which  had  full  charge  of 
the  war  labor  program  for  their  respective  localities. 

In  August,  1918,  Mr.  Gaston  resigned  his  position  as  chair- 
man of  the  Committee  as  well  as  director  for  Massachusetts 
of  the  United  States  Public  Service  Reserve  and  L'nited 

187 


States  Employment  Service,  and  his  place  was  filled  by  the 
selection  of  Dean  Everett  W.  Lord  of  the  College  of  Business 
Administration  of  Boston  University,  who  had  with  him  as 
vice-chairman  of  the  Committee,  Mr.  B.  Preston  Clark. 

From  December  1,  1917,  to  August  1,  1918,  the  money 
furnished  by  the  United  States  government  in  behalf  of  the 
Committee  was  less  than  $900,  all  the  nominal  expenses  of 
the  office  being  paid,  up  to  that  time,  by  the  Massachusetts 
Committee  on  Public  Safety.  But  when,  in  August,  1918, 
the  Committee's  activities  were  put  by  the  United  States 
Department  of  Labor  on  a  paid  basis,  and  Dean  Lord  was 
left  in  full  control,  subject  only  to  the  direction  of  the  United 
States  Department  of  Labor,  all  further  responsibility  on 
the  part  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
ceased. 


188 


CHAPTER  V 
MASSACHUSETTS   HALIFAX   RELIEF  COMMITTEE 

On  the  morning  of  Thursday,  December  6,  1917,  at  11.20 
a.m.,  while  the  Board  of  Food  Administration  was  in  session 
at  the  State  House,  Assistant  Food  Administrator  James  J. 
Chelan  was  hurriedly  called  to  the  telephone.  He  returned 
to  report  that  a  terrible  catastrophe  had  befallen  Halifax; 
that  two  vessels  —  the  "Mont  Blanc,"  loaded  with  muni- 
tions, and  the  "Imo"  —  having  collided,  the  resulting 
explosion  had  laid  half  the  city  in  ruins. 

Accompanied  by  Mr.  Endicott,  Mr.  Phelan  then  went 
directly  to  the  Executive  Chamber  to  inform  His  Excellency 
Governor  McCall.  Every  known  means  was  immediately 
put  in  operation  to  acquire  as  far  as  possible  a  full  and 
accurate  report  of  what  had  taken  place,  and  the  full  extent 
of  the  disaster,  by  checking  up  with  the  Boston  newspapers 
and  the  Associated  Press  such  news  as  had  come  in  over 
their  lines.  It  transpired,  however,  that  the  only  informa- 
tion they  were  able  to  obtain  was  very  confused  and  un- 
reliable. Undoubtedly  a  terrible  accident  had  taken  place, 
involving  great  loss  of  life  and  property,  but  by  reason  of 
the  destruction  of  wires  such  news  as  came  through  was 
fragmentary.  This  was  chiefly  to  be  accounted  for  by  the 
fact  that  the  Dominion  government  had  commandeered  the 
few  wires  left  standing.  Having  ascertained  all  the  trust- 
worthy news  to  be  had,  the  Governor  despatched  the  follow- 
ing telegram  to  the  mayor  of  Halifax :  — 

Understand  your  city  in  danger  from  explosion  and  conflagration.  Re- 
ports only  fragmentary.  Massachusetts  stands  ready  to  go  to  the  limit 
in  rendering  every  assistance  you  may  be  in  need  of.  Wire  me  imme- 
diately. 

189 


It  was  then  decided  that  a  full  meeting  of  the  Committee 
of  One  Hundred  should  be  called  as  soon  as  possible,  and  a 
telephone  message  was  sent  to  each  member  requesting  his 
attendance  at  the  Governor's  Council  Chamber  at  2.30  the 
same  afternoon.  Notwithstanding  so  short  a  notice,  more 
than  sixty  members  responded  to  the  summons,  but  up  to 
the  time  the  meeting  adjourned  it  proved  impossible  to 
obtain  any  additional  news  from  Halifax,  —  in  fact,  the 
city  seemed  to  be  completely  isolated. 

Dr.  William  A.  Brooks,  Acting  Surgeon-General  of  the 
Commonwealth,  and  chief  of  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  State  Guard,  advised  that  a  base  hospital  unit  for  doctors, 
nurses,  medical  supplies,  etc.,  be  at  once  organized,  to  be 
ready  at  a  moment's  notice  to  depart  for  the  stricken  city. 
Mr.  Endicott  then  recommended  that  unless  news  came  to 
the  contrary,  a  relief  expedition,  with  the  base  hospital  unit 
suggested  by  Dr.  Brooks  and  what  emergency  supplies  could 
be  quickly  collected,  should  start  for  Halifax  without  waiting 
for  the  advices  called  for  by  the  Governor,  even  at  the  risk 
of  its  later  being  found  unnecessary,  in  which  event  it  could 
immediately  return.  Mr.  Hustis,  formerly  president,  and 
at  that  time  receiver  for  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  when 
asked  how  soon  a  special  train  could  be  made  ready,  at  once 
replied,  "Within  half  an  hour  of  notification  by  your  Com- 
mittee." Later  in  the  afternoon  it  was  definitely  decided  to 
carry  out  Dr.  Brooks'  proposal,  and  at  10  o'clock  the 
same  night,  December  6,  1917,  a  train  carrying  doctors  and 
nurses,  with  Mr.  John  F.  Moors  in  charge  of  the  Red  Cross 
workers,  — ;  the  latter  having  been  invited  by  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety  to  join  the  party,  —  and  a  large  assort- 
ment of  medical  supplies,  clothing  and  food,  started  on  its 
way  to  the  devastated  city  in  charge  of  Mr.  A.  C.  Ratshesky. 

Previously,  and  after  the  meeting  of  the  Committee  of 
One  Hundred,  Governor  McCall  sent  a  second  telegram  to 
the  mayor  of  Halifax,  as  follows :  — 

Since  sending  my  telegram  this  morning  offering  unlimited  assistance 
an  important  meeting  of  citizens  has  been  held  and  Massachusetts  stands 

190 


ready  to  offer  aid  in  any  way  you  can  avail  yourself  of  it.  We  are  pre- 
pared to  send  forward  immediately  a  special  train  with  surgeons,  nurses 
and  other  medical  assistance,  but  await  advices  from  you. 

After  the  party  left  Boston,  Governor  McCall  appointed 
the  following  to  be  members  of  the  Massachusetts  Halifax 
Relief  Committee:  — 

Henry  B.  Endicott,  Chairman. 
James  J.  Phelan,  Vice-Chair  man. 
Matthew  Luce,  Secretary. 
Robert  Winsor,  Treasurer. 


James  J.  Storrow. 
A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
Joseph  B.  Russell. 
Robert  F.  Herrick. 
W.  Murray  Crane. 
George  H.  Lyman. 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 
John  F.  O'Connell. 


B.  Preston  Clark. 
J.  Frank  O'Hare. 
Charles  S.  Baxter. 
Edwin  U.  Curtis. 
George  C.  Lee. 
Walter  C.  Baylies. 
James  Jackson. 


Messrs.  James  Jackson  and  Walter  C.  Baylies,  members 
of  the  above  Committee,  also  represented  the  Red  Cross. 

The  Committee  met  for  organization  Friday  morning, 
December  7,  at  10  o'clock,  and  sent  out  the  following  appeal 
for  funds :  — 

An  Appeal  for  Funds  for  Halifax 

It  is  evident  from  all  reports  on  hand  that  thousands  are  in  great  dis- 
tress as  a  result  of  the  great  catastrophe  wdiich  has  spread  death  and  devas- 
tation in  Halifax. 

Generous  contributions  will  be  needed  to  carry  on  the  work  of  relieving 
immediate  distress  by  providing  clothes,  food,  medicines  and  material  for 
the  temporary  housing  of  the  homeless  and  suffering.  Later  will  come  the 
great  work  of  rehabilitation  to  which  we  are  all  committed  as  near  neigh- 
bors of  the  stricken  city. 

Cash  will  be  required  to  do  all  this,  and  Massachusetts  may  be  called 
upon  for  a  million  dollars.  Everybody  is  asked  to  subscribe  generously 
and  as  quickly  as  possible. 

Mr.  Endicott  also  sent  the  following  telegram  to  the  sub- 
committees on  Public  Safety  throughout  the  State :  — 

191 


Governor  McCall  has  appointed  from  Committee  of  One  Hundred  of 
the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  Massachusetts  Halifax 
Relief  Committee,  of  which  Committee  he  has  appointed  me  chairman. 

It  is  Governor  McCalTs  desire  that  all  local  Public  Safety  Committees, 
men  and  women,  throughout  the  Commonwealth  shall  co-operate  in  the 
raising  of  funds  for  this  work.  Will  you  please  call  your  committee  to- 
gether at  once  for  this  purpose  and  set  them  to  work  raising  funds.  Send 
all  checks  to  Robert  Winsor,  Treasurer,  care  of  Kidder,  Peabody  &  Co., 
Boston.  Your  Committee  is  hereby  delegated  as  local  representative  of 
the  Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief  Committee. 


The  Committee  met  again  early  on  Saturday  morning, 
December  8,  and  established  a  Halifax  Information  Bureau 
at  the  State  House  in  charge  of  Mr.  B.  F.  Felt,  which  was 
to  act  as  an  information  bureau  to  those  having  friends  and 
relatives  at  Halifax. 

At  noon  on  the  same  day  a  Halifax  relief  meeting  was 
called  at  Faneuil  Hall,  at  which  Governor  McCall,  Mayor 
Curley,  Mr.  Endicott  and  Messrs.  McLeod  and  Mclntyre 
of  the  British  and  Canadian  Missions  made  short  addresses, 
pledging  all  the  help  in  their  power  to  relieve  the  unfortunate 
people  who  had  suffered  from  the  disaster.  All  that  day, 
and  far  into  the  night,  as  well  as  on  Sunday,  the  various  sub- 
committees of  the  Relief  Committee  worked  persistently, 
striving  to  collect  the  needed  supplies  and  to  provide  for 
transportation  facilities,  Mr.  J.  A.  Malone  and  Mr.  E.  G. 
Preston  giving  the  invaluable  assistance  of  their  long  experi- 
ence, and  buying  quickly  and  wisely  much  of  the  supplies 
eventually  sent  to  Halifax. 

The  United  States  Shipping  Board,  through  Mr.  Howard, 
chairman,  loaned  the  steamship  "Calvin  Austin"  to  the 
Committee.  This  boat,  in  command  of  Capt.  Eugene 
O'Donnell,  sailed  from  Boston  at  3  o'clock  Sunday  after- 
noon, December  9,  three  days  after  the  explosion. 

The  cargo  was  under  the  personal  supervision  of  the 
Hon.  Edmund  Billings,  who  with  Deputy  Collector  Alfred 
Anderson  accompanied  the  expedition.  These  officers, 
together  with  Special  Deputy  Collector  Eli  Perry,  Deputies 

192 


R.  G.  Frye  and  S.  J.  Devlin,  and  Deputy  Surveyor  Moses  B. 
Mann,  were  of  inestimable  help  to  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  in  this  emergency,  as  they  proved  to  be  at  all  times 
whenever  their  assistance  was  called  for. 

The  equipment  consisted  of  about  $300,000  worth  of 
supplies,  together  with  an  emergency  wrecking  crew  fully 
furnished,  a  crew  of  glaziers  and  trained  workmen,  a  large 
supply  of  window  glass,  putty,  etc.,  and  the  following 
articles :  — 


Mattresses  (packages), 

CdtS,     .... 

Pillows  (bundles), 

Castings  (keg),  . 

Flour  (bags), 

Canned  beef  (eases), 

Canned  meat  (eases), 

Condensed  milk  (cases), 

Canned  beans  (cases), 

Coffee  (cases),    . 

Tea  (cases), 

Sausage  (cases), 

Putty  (packages), 

Dry  goods  (cases),     . 

Shoes  (cases), 

Oilcloth  (cases), 

Rubbers  (case), 

Cotton  piece  goods  (bales), 

Roofing  paper  (rolls), 

Glass  (cases), 

Canned  soup  (cases), 

Evaporated  milk  (case), 

Baker's  cocoa  (case), 

Malted  milk  (cases), 

Sugar  (bags), 

Crackers  (cases), 

Second-hand  clothing  (packages), 

Clothing,  etc.  (cases), 

Blankets  (bundles),  . 

Bread  (packages), 

Cheese  (cases),  . 

Oleomargarine  (packages) , 


985 

591 

86 

1 

200 

115 

100 

100 

200 

62 

26 

2 

25 

5 

6 

2 

1 

-4 

1,870 

1.-196 

200 

100 

1 

40 

15 

200 

TOO 

200 

305 

150 

50 

27 


193 


The  "Calvin  Austin"  almost  immediately  plunged  into  a 
heavy  sea,  and  after  a  rough  trip  arrived  at  Halifax  on 
Wednesday,  December  12. 

On  Sunday,  December  9,  after  the  departure  of  the  "Calvin 
Austin,"  the  Committee  reassembled  at  the  State  House  to 
consider  what  further  purchases  should  be  made,  and  to 
arrange  for  the  sailing  of  a  second  steamer,  the  "North- 
land," on  Tuesday,  December  11.  This  vessel  was  lent  to 
the  Committee,  free  of  charge,  by  the  Eastern  Steamship 
Company.  Mr.  John  F.  O'Connell  of  the  Committee  accom- 
panied the  steamer  in  charge  of  the  following  supplies :  — 

Beaver  board  (rolls), 2,084 

Crackers  (eases), 200 

Gasoline  (drums), 10 

Second-hand  clothing  (packages), 510 

Nails  (kegs), 51 

Cement  (drums), 23 

Dry  goods  (cases), 13 

Glass  (cases), 837 

Rubbers  (cases), 94 

Boots  and  shoes  (cases), 1,045 

Fittings  (keg), 1 

Glazier  tools  (bundle), 1 

Cot  beds, 420 

On  December  10  Mr.  Endicott  advised  Mr.  Ratshesky  by 
telegram  that  ten  motor  trucks  had  been  forwarded  as  a 
present  from  Massachusetts  to  Halifax,  and  that  more  would 
be  forthcoming  if  needed.  These  trucks,  valued  at  $25,000, 
were  secured  by  Mr.  H.  J.  McAlman,  president  of  the  Auto- 
mobile Dealers'  Association,  before  noon  on  Monday,  Decem- 
ber 10,  and,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  J.  S.  Hathaway  of 
the  Governor's  staff,  also  went  on  the  "Northland."  Each 
truck,  manned  by  a  driver  and  well  supplied  with  gasoline, 
was  ready  for  service  on  landing.  They  proved  of  inestimable 
value,  enabling  supplies  to  be  transferred  to  different  points 
which  up  to  that  time  had  been  inaccessible  because  of  the 
deep  carpet  of  snow  that  covered  the  city. 

194 


A  great  deal  of  difficulty  was  encountered  in  obtaining,  at 
so  short  notice,  some  of  the  articles  which  were  deemed  most 
necessary.  For  example,  the  market  at  that  time  was  practi- 
cally denuded  of  all  kinds  of  rubber  footwear,  yet  5,000 
pairs  were  secured.  Certain  shoe  firms  gave  these,  as  well 
as  other  articles;  and,  generally,  substantial  reductions  were 
made  from  the  wholesale  prices.  Mr.  Charles  Sumner  Bird 
gave  three  carloads  of  roofing  materials,  and  the  Loose-Wiles 
Company,  400  cases  of  crackers.  Mrs.  Russell  S.  Codman, 
as  chairman  of  the  Special  Committee  of  the  Special  Aid 
Society,  added  three  truck  loads  of  clothing,  consisting 
ghostly  of  underwear  collected  by  the  Society.  The  Red 
Cross  sent  275  cases  of  selected  clothing. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Winsor  and  his  Committee  were  at 
work  collecting  a  fund.  Subscriptions  began  to  pour  in  from 
every  section  of  the  Commonwealth,  finally  reaching  the 
sum  of  $699,189.91.  In  addition,  a  great  many  needed  and 
valuable  gifts  of  clothing,  roofing  paper,  footwear,  etc., 
were  brought  together  ready  for  shipment. 

Very  soon  more  normal  means  of  communication  were 
established,  and  despatches  began  to  arrive  from  Halifax 
expressing  the  very  great  gratitude  of  her  people  for  the 
help  given  them  by  the  citizens  of  Massachusetts.  On 
Wednesday,  January  12,  however,  as  a  natural  result  of  so 
great  a  disarrangement  of  affairs,  the  Halifax  authorities 
wired  to  delay  sending  any  more  nurses,  doctors,  helpers, 
food  or  clothing  of  any  kind,  until  further  advised,  on  account 
of  the  great  congestion  and  impossibility  of  properly  handling 
the  goods  on  arrival. 

The  party,  under  charge  of  Mr.  Ratshesky,  it  will  be 
remembered,  left  Boston  at  10  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the 
disaster;  and  beginning  at  Portland,  Me.,  and  from  thence 
regularly  thereafter  at  each  station  until  the  arrival  at 
St.  John,  the  mayor  of  Halifax  was  telegraphed  to,  without 
any  answer  being  received  in  reply.  Again,  during  a  short 
delay  at  McAdatn  Junction  it  was  sought  to  ascertain  what 
was  going  on  at  Halifax,  but  only  unsatisfactory  and  vague 

195 


rumors  were  obtainable.  These  became  more  and  more 
grave  as  time  went  on.  At  every  stop  after  leaving  the 
Junction,  workers  bound  for  Halifax  in  various  capacities 
waylaid  the  train  seeking  accommodations,  and  Mr. 
Ratshesky  issued  instructions  that  every  available  space 
should  be  filled,  with  preference  given  to  the  doctors  and 
nurses.  Directions  were  also  issued  to  Captains  Hyde  and 
Lapham  of  the  Quartermasters'  Department  to  secure  addi- 
tional drugs  during  the  stop  at  St.  John,  and  they  were 
successful  in  getting  aboard  large  quantities  of  all  kinds  of 
medical  supplies  before  the  train  pulled  out  of  the  depot. 

It  was  not  until  the  party  reached  St.  John  that  any  full 
intimation  of  the  seriousness  of  the  disaster  was  received; 
and  with  this  came  the  news  that  all  the  telegraphic  and 
telephone  wires  within  a  long  radius  from  Halifax  were 
down,  and  that  no  word  had  come  through  of  just  what  had 
happened,  except  by  relay  and  in  a  roundabout  way.  A  wire 
was  at  once  sent  to  Mr.  Endicott,  asking  him  to  have  for- 
warded a  train  load  of  window  glass  and  putty  as  well  as 
building  materials  of  all  kinds. 

On  leaving  St.  John  the  party  encountered  a  heavy  snow- 
storm, which  proved  one  of  the  severest  of  the  winter, 
accompanied  by  a  driving  gale,  the  heavy  snow  piling 
up  in  great  drifts  and  making  progress  more  and  more 
difficult,  so  that  a  large  freight  engine  had  to  be  attached  to 
the  train.  Beyond  Truro  and  Moncton  the  storm  increased 
to  a  veritable  blizzard,  and  the  engine  finally  broke  down, 
causing  a  delay  of  several  hours  for  repairs.  The  climax 
was  reached  at  the  time  the  party  started  to  ascend  the  up 
grade  at  Folleigh  Mountain,  when  the  conductor  in  charge, 
and  also  General  Agent  Howard  of  the  Canadian  govern- 
ment, stated  that  an  enormous  snowdrift  which  lay  across 
the  track  altogether  prevented  further  progress.  But  Mr. 
Ratshesky,  fortified  with  official  telegraphic  orders  to  give 
the  party  the  right  of  way  under  all  conditions,  pleaded 
with  the  officials  to  do  everything  known  to  railroad  men  to 
clear  the  track.     Ordinarily,  no  attempt  would  have  been 

196 


made  to  keep  the  train  in  motion,  but  all  hands  understood 
how  urgent  was  the  need,  and  worked  with  might  and  main 
to  clear  the  track.  At  last,  by  hard  shoveling  and  the  use 
of  steam  and  ramming,  the  drift,  standing  higher  than  the 
door  of  the  baggage  car,  was  ploughed  through  amid  the 
"hurrahs"  of  all  on  board.  On  arriving  at  Truro  an  extra 
engine  with  crew  were  found  waiting  for  the  final  haul  to 
Halifax.  The  city  was  reached  at  about  3  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  December  8,  the  passengers,  including  those 
taken  on  board  at  Fredericton  Junction,  now  numbering 
about  sixty-five.  The  last  stop  was  made  at  Rockingham 
Junction,  about  six  miles  from  the  terminus,  a  detour  being 
necessary  around  the  city  on  account  of  the  destruction  of 
the  depot  at  Halifax.  The  terminus  was  reached  at  about 
7  a.m.,  whence  communication  was  quickly  made  with  Sir 
Robert  L.  Borden,  Premier  of  Canada,  whose  private  car 
was  on  a  side  track  close  by,  and  who  was  not  slow  to  express 
his  gratitude  to  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  for 
her  prompt  response.  The  party,  accompanied  by  the 
Premier,  then  went  to  City  Hall  to  present  Governor 
M< -Call's  letter  to  the  mayor,  and  to  make  preliminary 
arrangements.  The  vehicle  that  conveyed  them  from  the 
depot  had  been  used  night  and  day  in  carrying  the  wounded 
to  hospitals  and  the  dead  to  the  morgue.  The  driver,  a 
young  man,  had  lost  his  whole  family,  consisting  of  a  wife 
and  four  children.  As  Mr.  Ratshesky  afterwards  said,  "It 
was  a  gruesome  start." 

The  streets  they  passed  through  were  blocked  with  debris 
and  covered  with  freshly  fallen  snow,  and  it  was  only  with 
considerable  difficulty  that  the  party  arrived  by  9  o'clock  at 
City  Hall  in  the  center  of  the  city.  From  here  an  awful 
sight  presented  itself.  Buildings  lay  shattered  on  all  sides, 
with  chaos  and  confusion  everywhere. 

Unfortunately  the  mayor  was  away,  but  the  party  found 
awaiting  them  His  Honor  Governor  McCullum  Grant  of 
Nova  Scotia;  General  Benson,  Military  Commandant  of 
the  District;    Admiral  Chambers,  Naval  Commandant  of 

197 


the  District;  Colonel  McKelvie  Bell,  Military  Medical 
Officer;  Chief  Justice  Harris  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Nova 
Scotia;  Chairman  R.  T.  Macllreith,  who  was  in  charge  of 
the  medical  relief  of  the  city;  and  members  of  the  Halifax 
Temporary  Relief  Committee.  In  the  same  room,  about 
12  by  20  feet  in  size,  were  assembled  men  and  women  trying 
to  organize  different  departments  of  relief.  Other  rooms  in 
the  building  were  jammed  to  their  utmost  capacity  with 
people  of  every  age  and  sex  begging  for  doctors,  nurses,  food 
and  clothing  for  themselves  and  members  of  their  families. 
It  was  evident  that  in  this  condition  of  turmoil  the  first 
necessity  was  a  definite  plan  of  organization.  The  Relief 
Committee  secured  as  headquarters  the  City  Club  building, 
centrally  located,  where  a  thorough  organization  was  put 
under  way.  It  was  at  once  apparent  that  first  of  all  a 
Transportation  Committee  was  needed  in  order  to  handle 
the  crowds  of  people  flocking  to  the  city  to  help  in  relief 
work,  and  also  to  facilitate  the  arrival  of  the  large  quantities 
of  food,  clothing  and  other  necessities  coming  in  from  all 
parts  of  Canada  and  the  United  States.  Other  committees 
included  in  the  organization  were:  a  Committee  on  Supplies, 
divided  into  food  and  clothing;  a  Finance  Committee;  a 
Committee  on  Construction,  to  take  charge  of  buildings 
partially  destroyed  which  had  to  be  demolished  or  tempo- 
rarily repaired,  and  to  collect  building  supplies  and  labor 
from  Canada  and  the  United  States;  a  Relief  Committee, 
in  which  the  members  of  the  Red  Cross  should  take  an 
active  part,  and  for  which  their  experience  made  them 
peculiarly  adapted;  a  Housing  Committee,  to  provide  for 
those  whose  homes  had  been  entirely  destroyed  or  which 
could  not  be  repaired,  and  also  to  care  for  the  large  number 
of  people  entering  the  city  from  Canada  and  the  United 
States;  a  Medical  Department,  to  apportion  the  work  of 
the  surgeons,  doctors,  nurses  and  assistants;  and  a  Ware- 
house Department,  to  sort,  store  and  distribute  all  the 
supplies  now  being  rushed  into  the  city. 

The  most  pressing  demand  was  for  doctors  and  nurses. 

198 


This  was  partially  met  by  scattering  members  of  the  hospital 
unit  through  different  quarters  of  the  city,  with  instructions 
to  keep  the  central  office  informed  of  their  whereabouts  in 
order  that  they  might  readily  be  gathered  together  at  night, 
it  being  considered  vitally  important  to  keep  this  unit 
together  and  to  establish  a  permanent  hospital  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment.  Eventually  the  Bellevue  Building,  in  use 
as  an  officers'  club  house,  which  was  large  and  roomy  and 
near  the  center  of  the  city,  was  turned  over  to  the  Medical 
Department.  This  building  was  found  to  be  in  very  bad 
condition,  not  a  door  or  window  remaining,  and  with  water 
and  ice  covering  the  floors  in  every  room.  Its  appearance 
was  so  discouraging  and  its  rehabilitation  apparently  so 
hopeless  that  under  ordinary  circumstances  it  would  have 
been  at  once  abandoned,  but  by  12.30  o'clock  on  that  first 
day  Major  Giddings  with  his  quartermasters'  contingent, 
ably  assisted  by  some  fifty  of  the  crew  of  the  United  States 
training  ship  "Old  Colony,"  —  who  had  arrived  with  in- 
structions to  report  to  the  head  of  the  Committee  for  such 
services  as  they  could  render,  —  together  with  a  contingent 
of  Canadian  soldiers  under  command  of  General  Benson, 
was  at  work  cleaning  the  rooms,  covering  the  windows  with 
papers  and  boards,  washing  the  floors  and  woodwork,  and 
removing  all  furniture  to  the  upper  part  of  the  building. 
The  result  was  that  by  6  o'clock  that  night  an  operating 
room  was  installed  and  wards  fitted  up  with  one  hundred 
beds  and  medical  supplies  brought  from  the  relief  train.  By 
9  o'clock  sixty  patients  were  received;  and  by  noon  the  next 
day  the  fully  equipped  American  Bellevue  Hospital,  flying 
the  American  Flag  presented  by  Mr.  Ratshesky,  was  in 
complete  running  order  and  caring  for  one  hundred  patients. 
This  was  not  the  only  hospital  in  the  city,  but  it  received 
the  worst  cases  from  other  hospitals  when  the  latter  became 
so  overcrowded  that  proper  attention  could  not  be  given  to 
the  patients.  The  Military  Camp  Hill  Hospital,  its  original 
capacity  limited  to  three  hundred  patients,  was  at  that  time 
caring  for  approximately  sixteen  hundred. 

199 


The  British  Medical  Stores  Depot  furnished  full  equip- 
ment in  the  way  of  bedside  tables,  rubber  sheets,  dishes  and 
tableware.  The  British  authorities  also  furnished  to  the 
hospital  unit  cooks  and  kitchen  utensils,  besides  supplying 
the  hospital  with  food  from  its  commissary  and  detailing  a 
corps  of  trained  clerks  and  orderlies. 

Premier  Borden  personally  made  arrangements  for  the 
housing  of  the  doctors  and  officials,  and  likewise  took  care  of 
the  Red  Cross  Contingent  and  the  newspaper  men,  while 
the  nurses  were  quartered  in  private  homes  in  the  vicinity, 
—  four  of  them  at  Government  House. 

The  ten  surgeons  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts State  Guard  had  with  them  a  civilian  anaesthetist, 
two  officers  of  the  Quartermaster  Corps  detailed  to  the 
Medical  Department,  and  ten  civilian  nurses,  all  a  part  of 
the  Massachusetts  contingent,  and  these  were  the  first 
medical  outfit  to  reach  Halifax  from  any  outside  section. 

Part  of  the  equipment  of  a  portable  hospital  was  also 
taken  to  Halifax  and  used  to  excellent  advantage.  When 
the  Committee  left  for  home  all  the  medical  equipment 
brought  and  not  used,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  blankets, 
was  left  behind  for  the  sick  and  wounded. 

The  afternoon  on  which  formal  possession  was  taken  of  the 
hospital,  Premier  Borden  issued  the  following  statement:  — 

Tli  is  afternoon  I  visited  the  hospital  established  at  Bellevue  by  the 
Massachusetts  Hospital  Unit.  They  took  possession  yesterday  after- 
noon at  2  o'clock,  and  within  a  few  hours  had  every  arrangement  made 
for  receiving  patients,  of  whom  nearly  seventy-five  are  now  being  accom- 
modated. All  the  arrangements  were  wonderfully  planned  considering 
the  shortness  of  the  time  and  difficulties  that  had  to  be  overcome.  The 
hospital  is  a  triumph  of  organizing  ability. 

In  a  report  made  by  Major  Giddings  to  the  Acting  Surgeon- 
General  the  following  excerpts  appear:  — 

On  the  evening  of  December  9  the  commanding  officer  attended  by 
request  a  meeting  of  Red  Cross  representatives,  Lieut.-Col.  F.  McKelvie 
Bell,  Mr.  Ratshesky  and  representatives  of  the  Boston  Red  Cross  Unit, 
which,  with  the  independent  contingent  of  Dr.  E.  A.  Codman,  had  reached 

200 


03 


bo 


Halifax  that  morning.  Dr.  Codman  was  also  present  at  this  conference. 
That  day  a  Medical  Relief  Committee  had  been  appointed,  with  Lieut.- 
Col.  F.  McK.  Bell  as  chairman.  Among  other  things  discussed  at  the 
meeting  were  ways  and  means  of  best  caring  for  the  sick  and  wounded  of 
the  city.  As  a  result  of  observations  made  on  the  8th  by  various  members 
of  this  unit,  who  had  visited  many  people  in  their  homes,  we  were  able 
to  suggest  the  mapping  of  the  city  into  districts,  with  the  recommenda- 
tion that  a  house  to  house  canvass  be  made  first  by  the  social  workers, 
who  would  report  as  to  whether  medical  or  surgical  help  was  needed, 
the  case  then  to  be  seen  by  a  doctor  or  nurse.  This  suggestion  was  made 
because  our  doctors  found  that  large  numbers  of  injured  people  requiring 
surgical  aid  had  sought  the  shelter  of  buildings  near  the  devastated  area, 
where  they  were  content  to  stay.  So  dazed  were  they  by  the  disaster 
that  they  did  not  realize  that  help  would  come  to  them  for  the  asking. 
■  Also  the  members  of  our  staff  had  found  that  many  people  could  not  leave 
their  places  of  refuge  for  dressings  because  they  had  literally  lost  all  their 
clothing. 

Another  observation  made  by  our  doctors  was  that  contagious  diseases 
would  be  likely  to  make  an  early  appearance,  due  to  the  complete  destruc- 
tion of  toilet  facilities,  the  huddling  together  of  large  numbers  in  small 
quarters  and  the  general  physical  demoralization.  Because  of  these  con- 
ditions we  recommended  the  immediate  establishment  of  a  contagious 
hospital.  That  our  surmise  of  early  contagion  was  correct  was  proved  by 
the  fact  that  on  December  12  three  cases  of  throat  infection,  cultures  of 
which  immediately  were  made,  were  proved  to  be  diphtheritic. 

Our  suggestions,  as  above  indicated,  were  both  accepted,  the  house  to 
house  canvass  being  made  by  members  of  the  United  States  medical  units, 
which  went  to  the  aid  of  the  city  between  the  time  of  their  arrival  in  the 
city  and  the  establishment  of  their  respective  hospitals.  While  doing  this 
work  their  headquarters  were  at  City  Hall. 

The  morning  of  December  10  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes  flying  over  the 
hospital,  the  first  time  they  had  appeared  in  the  city  following  the  dis- 
aster.   The  flag  was  secured  for  us  by  Mr.  Ratshesky.  .  .  . 

On  this  same  day  we  received  an  official  visit  from  Samuel  Wolcott  and 
R.  W.  E.  Ladd,  the  respective  civil  and  medical  heads  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Red  Cross  Unit,  who  were  establishing  a  hospital  and  were  anxious 
to  learn  how  we  had  proceeded.  .  .  . 

On  the  afternoon  of  December  11  the  volume  of  work  had  become  so 
great  that  additional  nurses  were  required.  We  notified  medical  head- 
quarters of  this  fact,  and  they  detailed  to  us  the  following  ladies,  all  from 
St.  John,  and  all,  with  one  exception,  graduate  nurses:  Miss  Chambers  of 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  New  York;  Miss  Phillips,  V.  A.  D.,  two  years,  Eng- 
land; Miss  Donville,  Newport  Hospital,  Rhode  Island;  Miss  Harring- 
ton, Newport  Hospital,  Rhode  Island;    Mrs.  Tilley,  Royal  Victoria  Hos- 

201 


pital,  Montreal;  Mrs.  Allison,  Newton  Hospital,  Newton;  Mrs.  Bowman, 
Waltham  Hospital,  Waltham;  Mrs.  Davidson  and  Mrs.  Brock,  Royal 
Victoria  Hospital,  Montreal;  and  Mrs.  Mclntyre,  Massachusetts  General 
Hospital,  Massachusetts.  These  ladies  remained  with  us  until  we  sur- 
rendered control  of  the  hospital,  and  did  very  valuable  work.  .  .  . 

On  the  11th  Mrs.  Barrett  Wendell  arrived  from  Boston,  who  brought 
a  considerable  quantity  of  clothing  for  distribution  and  certain  needed 
hospital  supplies,  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Charles  D.  Sias  of  Boston. 

In  addition  to  the  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island  divi- 
sions of  the  Red  Cross,  and  the  physicians  who  had  come 
independently,  a  number  of  doctors  and  nurses  arrived  from 
Maine  ready  to  establish  a  hospital,  so  that  a  superabundance 
of  ready  professional  help  resulted.  Therefore,  after  a 
general  conference,  at  7  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  December 
12,  the  Bellevue  Hospital  was  transferred  to  the  Rhode 
Island  contingent. 

Respecting  the  general  character  of  the  wounds  treated  at 
the  hospital,  Dr.  Giddings  reports  in  part  as  follows:  — 

They  were  very  largely  injuries  of  the  face  caused  by  flying  glass,  and 
included  many  injuries  to  the  eyes.  In  fact,  there  were  more  of  these  than 
of  any  others.  The  explanation  of  this  is  as  follows:  Two  explosions 
occurred.  One  was  a  comparatively  minor  affair,  but  was  sufficiently 
severe  to  bring  people  to  their  windows  to  see  what  had  happened;  then 
came  the  terrific  explosion  which  razed  the  city  and  created  so  much 
havoc.    It  was  at  this  time  that  so  many  people  were  injured  by  the  glass. 

A  number  of  cases  of  insanity  were  reported  following  the  disaster,  but 
at  Bellevue  we  had  only  one  such.  This  was  a  woman  who  finally  created 
so  much  disturbance  that  it  became  necessary  to  transfer  her  to  the  hos- 
pital for  insane  across  the  harbor,  at  Dartmouth.  Cases  of  mild  shell 
shock,  while  not  officially  appearing  on  the  hospital  records,  were  not 
infrequent. 

Many  people  came  to  the  hospital  simply  for  a  roof  to 
cover  them,  rather  than  to  obtain  treatment. 

The  work  of  every  member  of  the  Halifax  contingent, 
under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Ratshesky,  cannot  be  given  too 
high  praise;  yet  it  should  be  stated  that  the  services  rendered 
by  Captain  Loring  were  probably  more  specifically  exacting 
than  any  other.  This  was  due  to  the  multiplicity  of  injuries 
to  the  eye,  which  called  him  to  constant  service  between 

202 


Bellevue,  the  Military  Hospital,  the  Halifax  Infirmary  and 
the  Camp  Hill  Hospital. 

Mr.  Macllreith,  chairman  of  the  Relief  Committee,  ad- 
dressed the  following  letter  to  Major  Giddings :  — 

Halifax,  N.  S.,  December  13,  1917. 
Dear  Major  Giddings:  —  At  a  meeting  of  the  Executive  of  the  Relief 
Committee,  held  this  afternoon,  it  was  the  earnest  desire  of  all  the  mem- 
bers that  before  the  Medical  Corps  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts  took 
its  departure  from  Halifax  a  formal  minute  should  be  placed  on  our  rec- 
ords, which  in  the  future  will  be  the  basis  of  the  official  history  of  the 
Halifax  disaster,  expressing  the  Committee's  deep  appreciation  of  the 
prompt  and  humane  action  of  the  authorities  in  Boston  in  despatching 
your  corps  to  Halifax,  and  of  the  professional  efficiency  and  noble  spirit 
which  you  and  all  members  of  your  unit  have  exhibited  since  coming  to 
our  stricken  city.  We  shall  always  bear  you  in  grateful  remembrance,  and 
wish  you  a  safe  journey  home. 

Yours  truly, 

R.  T.  MacIlreith, 
Chairman,  Relief  Committee. 

The  accompanying  figures  will  give  some  idea  of  the 
amount  of  medical  and  surgical  services  rendered  in  this 
short  period :  — 

Total  out-patients  treated, 167 

Visits  in  homes, 53 

Hours  spent  in  advisory  capacity, 23 

Combined  surgical  and  medical  service :  — 

Total  house  admissions,      . 75 

Total  operations  done  (exclusive  of  eye  service), 10 

Total  discharges, 17 

Total  ethers, 46 

Total  ether  used  (pounds), 3| 

Total  cases  turned  over  to  Rhode  Island  Unit, 58 

Eye  service,  Dr.  Loring:  — 

Total  cases  seen  at  Bellevue, 27 

Total  cases  seen  at  Cogswell  Street  Military  Hospital,                 .     85 
Total  cases  seen  at  Halifax  Infirmary, 10 

122 

Total  operations  at  Bellevue, 18 

Total  operations  at  Cogswell  Street  Military  Hospital,        .        .     15 
Total  operations  at  Halifax  Infirmary, 2 

35 

203 


The  above  list  does  not  include  a  great  many  patients 
who  were  treated  at  the  hospital,  and  in  regard  to  whom  no 
clinical  records  were  kept. 

The  immediate  results  of  the  catastrophe  were  1,800  lives 
lost;  10,000  people  injured,  many  mortally,  others  to  a  less 
degree,  though  all  in  need  of  medical  attendance;  2,500 
homes  entirely  destroyed,  together  with  ruined  churches, 
schools,  hospitals,  asylums,  public  buildings,  factories  and 
warehouses.  There  was,  in  fact,  scarcely  a  building  that 
escaped  without  some  damage,  and  all  glass  throughout  the 
greater  part  of  the  city  was  shattered.  The  financial  loss 
exceeded  $30,000,000. 

On  Friday,  January  4,  1918,  a  second  visiting  committee, 
comprising  Henry  B.  Endicott,  chairman,  James  J.  Phelan, 
vice-chairman,  Robert  Winsor,  treasurer,  A.  C.  Ratshesky 
and  Joseph  B.  Russell,  left  for  Halifax.  On  their  arrival 
Sunday,  January  6,  the  Committee  immediately  met  with 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Halifax  Relief  Committee, 
and  did  not  adjourn  until  late  the  same  night,  to  come 
together  again  early  the  following  morning.  Many  proposi- 
tions were  brought  forward  at  this  meeting  relating  to  the 
administration  of  the  fund  in  the  Committee's  possession 
and  the  best  use  to  which  it  could  be  put. 

Meanwhile  it  was  concluded  by  the  Massachusetts  con- 
tingent that  the  most  satisfactory  results  would  be  obtained 
by  buying  furniture  for  those  families  who  had  lost  in  whole 
or  in  part  their  household  equipment,  thus  re-establishing 
as  far  as  possible  their  home  life.  This  plan  coincided  with 
the  views  of  the  Halifax  Committee,  and  the  following 
Halifax  men  and  women  were  appointed  to  represent  Mas- 
sachusetts at  Halifax  in  the  disbursement  of  the  fund:  — 

G.  F.  Pearson,  Chairman. 
A.  D.  MacRae,  Secretary. 


Mrs.  G.  S.  Campbell. 
Mrs.  J.  Norwood  Duffus. 
R.  T.  Macllreith. 


H.  R.  Silver. 
W.  R.  Powell. 


204 


a 


It  was  agreed  by  both  Committees  that  in  a  general  way 
this  fund  should  be  expended  in  behalf  of  those  who  had 
wholly  or  partially  lost  their  furniture  and  were  unable  of 
themselves  to  make  good  their  losses,  and  that  they  should 
have  their  homes  refurnished  on  the  basis  of  what  they  had 
lost.  For  this  purpose  $500,000  was  set  aside;  yet,  as  it 
proved  later,  only  one-half  of  this  amount  was  required. 
The  outlay  originally  judged  necessary  had  been  based 
partly  on  the  prices  obtaining  at  Halifax,  but  when  the 
Committee  returned  home  they  were  able  to  get  bottom 
prices,  and,  in  addition,  the  Canadian  authorities  remitted 
.  all  duties  on  relief  goods  crossing  the  border.  It  was  generally 
acknowledged  by  the  recipients  and  by  the  Halifax  Com- 
mittee that  the  furniture  was  of  superior  quality  to  what 
those  receiving  it  had  originally  possessed.  The  difference 
between  what  was  paid  here  and  the  cost  of  the  same  goods 
at  Halifax  amounted  to  about  $300,000. 

The  necessity  of  caring  in  the  future  for  many  cases  of 
actual  and  threatened  blindness  resulting  from  the  calamity 
was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Committee  by  Sir  Fred- 
erick Fraser.  In  compliance  with  his  views  an  additional 
allowance  of  $25,000  was  made  for  the  immediate  care  and 
education  of  these  special  cases,  and  the  best  advice  possible 
was  sought  for  the  supervision  of  its  expenditure. 

The  Halifax  branch  of  the  Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief 
Committee  was  also  empowered  to  spend  a  limited  amount 
of  money  in  all  cases  where  prompt  action  was  necessary, 
after  a  majority  vote  and  with  the  written  approval  of  at 
least  three  members  of  its  Committee.  This  rule  was  to 
apply  also  to  all  requisitions  upon  the  Boston  Committee 
for  materials  of  any  sort. 

Subsequent  to  the  return  from  Halifax  of  the  second 
visiting  committee,  the  Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief  Com- 
mittee in  Boston,  together  with  its  Halifax  branch,  worked 
to  organize  and  carry  out  the  general  plans  of  relief 
so  far  as  they  came  within  the  scope  of  the  subscribed 
fund. 

^05 


On  June  c24,  1918,  the  Massachusetts  Committee  met  at 
the  State  House  to  discuss  more  particularly  the  questions 
of  tuberculosis  and  the  blind  in  Halifax,  and  it  was  voted 
to  ask  Mr.  James  Jackson  of  the  Red  Cross  to  obtain  an 
expert  from  the  Rockefeller  Foundation,  who  should  investi- 
gate and  report  to  the  Committee  what  the  conditions  were 
in  these  respects. 

As  a  result  of  this  vote  Dr.  Victor  G.  Heiser,  director  for 
the  East  of  the  Rockefeller  Foundation,  International  Health 
Board,  New  York  City,  met  the  Committee  at  the  State 
House  on  June  9,  and  later  went  at  their  request  to  Halifax 
to  investigate  the  whole  question  of  tuberculosis  and  blind- 
ness as  it  there  existed,  especially  so  far  as  chargeable  to 
the  disaster.  Dr.  Heiser,  realizing  that  the  vital  principle 
governing  convalescence  would  be  the  hygienic  conditions 
pertaining  throughout  the  city,  and  in  conjunction  with  the 
Halifax  branch  of  the  Massachusetts  Relief  Committee,  by 
whom  he  was  provided  with  every  facility,  made  an  inde- 
pendent and  exhaustive  investigation  of  public  health  con- 
ditions in  the  city,  and  submitted  to  the  Committee  at 
Boston  his  report  of  a  constructive  health  program  for 
Halifax.  His  recommendations  were  strongly  endorsed  by 
the  members  of  the  Halifax  branch  in  a  report  made  by 
them  under  date  of  August  13,  1918,  as  being  directly  in 
the  interest  of  those  who  had  suffered  or  might  suffer  from 
the  effects  of  the  disaster;  and  it  was  further  advised  that 
Dr.  Heiser's  suggestions  be  carried  out.  Under  date  of 
November  5  Mr.  Pearson,  chairman  of  the  Halifax  branch, 
sent  the  following  letter  to  Mr.  Endicott:  — 

The  undersigned  has  the  honor,  by  direction  of  the  Massachusetts 
Halifax  Relief  Committee,  Halifax  branch,  to  report  as  follows:  — 

Your  Halifax  Committee  is  of  opinion,  as  you  have  been  previously 
advised  both  by  written  and  verbal  reports,  that  the  rehabilitation  of  the 
people  of  Halifax  and  Dartmouth,  following  the  explosion  of  December  G, 
1917,  resolved  itself  into  the  following  phases,  viz.:  — 

1.  The  provision  of  immediate  relief  in  the  way  of  medical  attendance, 
medical  supplies,  food,  clothing,  building  materials  and  means  of  trans- 
portation.    Before  the  appointment  of  this  Committee,  and  under  your 

20G 


direction,  the  people  of  Massachusetts  had  made  instant  and  most  valu- 
able contributions  to  this  phase. 

2.  The  provision  of  temporary  dwellings,  and  the  making  of  the  same 
habitable  by  the  provision  of  household  furnishings.  The  temporary 
dwellings  have  been  provided  by  the  Halifax  Relief  Commission.  This 
Commit  tec,  under  your  instructions,  devoted  itself  to  the  provision  of 
household  furnishings  for  those  persons  who  had  lost  their  furniture  in  the 
explosion  and  were,  wholly  or  partially,  unable  to  replace  it  themselves. 
"What  has  been  accomplished  along  this  line  has  been  fully  reported  to 
you,  but  generally  it  may  be  said  that  when  the  applications  on  hand  are 
dealt  with  and  furniture  delivered,  approximately  1,800  families  will  have 
received  gifts  of  furnishings  from  this  Committee,  involving  an  expendi- 
ture of  approximately  $200,000.  Because  of  the  favorable  prices  obtained 
from  the  manufacturers  of  Massachusetts,  the  remission  of  Canadian 
duties  by  the  Dominion  government,  and  the  advantage  taken  of  lowest 
transportation  rates,  goods  of  a  similar  nature  purchased  in  the  Halifax 
market  at  this  time  would  have  cost,  in  the  opinion  of  this  Committee, 
practically  three  times  as  much.  When  the  applications  in  hand  for  gifts 
of  furnishings  have  all  been  dealt  with,  in  the  judgment  of  this  Committee, 
all  necessitous  persons  in  the  city  of  Halifax  who  suffered  loss  of  furnishings 
by  reason  of  the  explosion,  and  who  have  applied  to  this  Committee,  will 
have  been  cared  for  either  through  the  instrumentality  of  this  Committee, 
by  the  Halifax  Relief  Commission  or  by  co-operation  of  both  of  these 
bodies. 

3.  The  provision  of  permanent  homes  for  those  whose  homes  were 
destroyed  on  December  6  last.  This  work  is  properly  the  duty  of  the 
Halifax  Relief  Commission,  which  has  embarked  on  an  extensive  policy 
of  rebuilding  homes  or  providing  compensation  for  those  whose  homes 
were  destroyed. 

4.  The  care  of  the  blind  and  the  provision  of  pensions  for  those  whose 
earning  capacity  has  been  impaired  by  physical  disability  incident  upon 
the  explosion.  To  the  care  of  the  blind  the  Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief 
Committee  has  already  appropriated  the  sum  of  $25,000,  which  will  be 
used  in  conjunction  with  other  funds  provided  from  other  sources  to  carry 
out  a  policy  now  in  course  of  preparation  with  respect  to  those  blinded 
by  the  disaster.  The  provision  of  pensions  or  disability  allowances  comes 
properly  within  the  scope  of  the  Halifax  Relief  Commission,  which  has 
a  settled  policy  in  this  regard  and  is  adjusting  and  paying  all  claims  of 
this  character. 

5.  The  readjustment  and  improvement  of  the  public  health  conditions 
of  the  city,  which  were  seriously  impaired  as  a  result  of  the  disaster.  Your 
Halifax  Committee  is  seriously  apprehensive  of  the  damage  done  to  the 
health  of  this  community  following  the  explosion.  Exposure,  privation 
and  overcrowding  during  the  severe  and  inclement  weather  following  the 

207 


6th  of  December,  undoubtedly,  in  the  opinion  of  all  competent  judges, 
has  left  its  mark  upon  the  general  health  of  this  community.  This  fact  is 
so  exhaustively  dealt  with  in  the  letters  accompanying  this  report  that  it 
is  unnecessary  to  go  into  it  at  length  here.  These  facts  also  have  been  the 
subject  of  other  reports,  verbal  and  written,  with  the  result  that  upon  our 
recommendation  that  you  send  an  expert  to  this  city  to  study  the  subject, 
you  sent  to  this  city  Dr.  Victor  G.  Heiser  of  the  Rockefeller  Foundation, 
New  York  City.  When  Dr.  Heiser  came  to  Halifax,  your  Committee  was 
glad  to  be  able  to  provide  him  with  all  facilities  required  by  him  for  the 
purpose  of  making  an  independent  and  impartial  investigation  into  public 
health  conditions  in  this  city  and  Dartmouth.  Dr.  Heiser  consulted  with 
everybody  in  authority  having  to  deal  with  any  branch  of  the  public 
health  of  this  city.  His  report,  which  you  forwarded  to  this  Committee, 
has  been  given  most  careful  consideration,  and  this  Committee  is  unani- 
mously of  the  opinion  that  it  is  distinctly  to  the  interest  of  this  city  and 
of  the  citizens  generally  that  the  recommendations  made  by  Dr.  Heiser 
should  be  carried  out.  This  Committee  believes  that  such  a  policy  would 
be  the  capstone  to  the  splendid  efforts  the  people  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts  have  made  for  the  relief  of  our  city.  The  opinion  of  this 
Committee  in  this  regard  is  endorsed  by:  — 

His  Worship  the  Mayor  and  the  Board  of  Control,  representing  the 
citizens  of  Halifax. 

The  president  and  council  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  representing  the  busi- 
ness life  of  the  city  and  embracing  seven  hundred  members. 

The  president  and  members  of  the  Commercial  Club,  also  represent- 
ing the  business  life  of  this  community  and  embracing  four  hundred 
members. 

The  president  and  members  of  the  Rotary  Club,  representative  of  the 
business  and  professional  life  of  this  city  and  embracing  one  hundred  and 
fifty  members. 

The  president  and  members  of  the  Halifax  Medical  Association,  repre- 
sentative of  the  medical  profession  of  this  city. 

The  president  and  members  of  the  Halifax  Anti-Tuberculosis  League. 

The  president  and  members  of  the  Victorian  Order  of  Nurses. 

The  chairman  and  members  of  the  City  Board  of  Health. 

Dr.  W.  H.  Hattie,  Provincial  Health  Officer. 

The  Halifax  Relief  Commission,  who  will  co-operate  in  carrying  out 
such  policy. 

The  undersigned  begs  to  attach  hereto  the  endorsations  in  writing  of 
the  various  bodies  above  referred  to. 

Your  Halifax  Committee,  therefore,  begs  respectfully  to  recommend 
that,  generally,  the  recommendation  of  Dr.  Victor  G.  Heiser,  contained 
in  a  report  to  you  under  date  of  August  13,  1918,  be  carried  out.    If  this 

208 


policy  be  determined  upon  by  your  Committee,  your  Halifax  Committee 
will  be  glad,  it'  required,  to  make  detailed  suggestions  witli  respect  to  the 
organization  and  personnel  of  a  committee  to  carry  the  recommendations 
into  effect. 

The  opportunity  to  permanently  help  those  stricken  or 
threatened  with  blindness  or  tuberculosis  as  a  result  of  the 
explosion  was  at  once  recognized  as  a  part  of  the  obligation 
resting  on  the  Committee,  and  one  due  to  those  citizens  who 
made  possible  the  immediate  relief  and  had  committed 
themselves  to  rehabilitation.  Therefore  on  November  15, 
at,  a  meeting  of  the  Committee,  it  was  voted  as  follows:  — 

Voted,  That  the  treasurer  be  and  he  is  hereby  authorized  to  expend 
for  the  rehabilitation  of  the  city  of  Halifax  the  sum  of  $50,000  a  year  for 
the  period  of  five  years  beginning  with  the  year  1919,  such  sums  to  be 
used  for  the  restoration  and  improvement  of  the  sanitary  conditions  of 
the  city  and  the  health  of  its  inhabitants,  in  accordance  with  a  general 
plan  outlined  in  a  report  prepared  for  the  Committee  by  Dr.  Victor  G. 
Heiser  of  the  Rockefeller  Foundation,  dated  July  25,  1918,  and  in  a 
further  letter  from  Dr.  Heiser  to  this  Committee,  dated  August  13,  1918, 
and  also  in  a  letter  from  G.  Fred  Pearson,  Esq.,  chairman  of  the  Halifax 
branch,  Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief  Committee,  to  the  chairman  of  this 
Committee,  dated  October  11,  1918.  This  report  and  these  letters  shall 
be  annexed  to  this  vote  and  made  a  part  hereof  for  the  purposes  of  setting 
forth  in  detail  the  purposes  for  which  the  money  appropriated  by  this  vote 
shall  be  expended.  This  appropriation  is  made  and  the  authority  of  the 
treasurer  to  expend  the  sums  of  money  above  set  forth  is  given  upon  the 
following  conditions,  and  no  expenditure  or  payment  shall  be  made  by  the 
treasurer  unless  and  until  such  conditions  shall  be  duly  fulfilled:  — 

1.  The  city  of  Halifax  shall  establish  by  incorporation  or  otherwise  a 
commission,1  corporation,  or  other  public  agency,  which  shall  be  respon- 
sible for  the  receipt  and  disbursement  of  the  moneys  which  may  be  paid 
to  it  during  the  period  of  five  years  by  the  treasurer  of  this  Committee, 
and  which  shall  further  undertake  and  be  responsible  for  the  formation 
of  a  definite  program  for  the  rehabilitation  of  the  city  of  Halifax  in  accord- 
ance with  the  report  and  letter  of  Dr.  Heiser  and  letter  of  Mr.  Pearson. 
The  chairman  and  treasurer  are  hereby  authorized  on  behalf  of  this  Com- 
mittee to  approve  the  form  of  public  ageney  which  shall  be  created  by  the 
city  of  Halifax  for  this  purpose,  and  are  further  authorized  to  enter  into 

1  See  Appendix  for  act,  p.  554. 

209 


any  contract  on  behalf  of  this  Committee  with  the  city  of  Halifax,  or  such 
public  agency  as  may  be  necessary,  to  satisfy  themselves  that  the  money 
paid  by  the  treasurer  through  such  period  of  five  years  shall  be  disbursed 
for  the  purpose  of  rehabilitation  in  accordance  with  the  plans  described  in 
the  report  and  letters  above  referred  to. 

2.  The  treasurer,  at  such  time  or  times  as  in  his  discretion  he  may  deem 
advisable,  may  employ  experts  in  accounting,  municipal  sanitation,  pub- 
lic hygiene,  or  other  kindred  subjects,  to  examine  the  books  and  actions  of 
the  public  agency  having  charge  of  the  disbursement  of  the  funds  appro- 
priated by  this  Committee,  and  if  as  a  result  of  the  report  or  reports  of 
such  experts  he  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  moneys  or  any  part  thereof  have 
not  been  disbursed  by  such  public  agency  in  accordance  with  this  vote,  or 
are  not  being  used  for  the  purpose  above  set  forth,  he  shall  make  no  further 
expenditures  or  payments  under  the  authority  of  this  vote  without  further 
vote  of  this  Committee. 

3.  No  payments  shall  be  made  in  any  year  during  the  period  of  five 
years  by  the  treasurer  to  the  city  of  Halifax  or  the  public  agency  above 
referred  to  until  he  is  satisfied  that  there  has  been  paid  or  will  be  paid  in 
the  same  year  to  the  city  of  Halifax  or  to  such  public  agency  the  sum  of 
$15,000  by  the  Canadian  government  Halifax  Relief  Committee,  and  the 
sum  of  $10,000  by  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia  and  the  city  of  Halifax, 
which  sums  shall  be  applicable  for  disbursement  by  said  public  agency  for 
the  purpose  set  forth  in  the  report  and  letters  above  referred  to,  and  shall 
actually  be  applied  and  disbursed  for  such  purpose. 

4.  The  expenses  incurred  by  the  treasurer  for  the  reports  of  the  expert 
above  referred  to,  and  any  other  expenses  incurred  by  him  for  the  pur- 
pose of  satisfying  himself  from  time  to  time  that  the  conditions  set  forth 
in  this  vote  have  been  fulfilled,  including  counsel  fees,  may  be  paid  by 
him  from  the  annual  appropriations  of  $50,000  above  referred  to,  and  in 
the  event  of  such  expenses  being  incurred  by  him  he  may  pay  over  to  the 
city  of  Halifax  or  the  public  agency  appointed  to  receive  and  disburse  the 
sum  only  the  balance  of  such  annual  appropriations  of  $50,000. 

5.  Subject  to  the  conditions  above  set  forth,  and  upon  the  fulfillment 
thereof,  the  treasurer  shall  annually  during  said  period  of  five  years  pay 
the  sum  of  $50,000,  or  such  balance  as  shall  remain  after  the  payments 
referred  to  in  the  previous  paragraph,  in  one  sum  or  in  such  instalments 
as  in  his  discretion  he  shall  deem  wise,  to  the  city  of  Halifax  or  the  public 
agency  above  described,  to  be  disbursed  by  it  for  the  rehabilitation  of 
the  city  in  accordance  with  the  plans  described  in  the  report  and  in  the 
letters  of  Dr.  Heiser  and  Mr.  Pearson,  and  the  receipt  of  the  city  of  Hali- 
fax or  of  such  public  agency  for  sums  received  by  it  from  the  treasurer  of 
this  Committee  shall  discharge  the  treasurer  from  any  liability  of  any 
character  whatsoever  for  the  application  of  the  moneys  so  paid  by  him. 

210 


This  action  on  the  part  of  the  Committee  was  immediately 
made  public,  in  order  that  the  Commonwealth  might  know 
of  the  assistance  which  her  generous  gifts  were  still  render- 
ing in  behalf  of  a  friendly  neighbor,  now  our  Ally  in  the 
Great  War. 

The  above  vote,  based  on  the  recommendations  of  Dr. 
Heiser,  constituted  a  well  thought  out  plan  for  a  constructive 
health  program  extending  over  five  years,  and  was  designed 
to  make  good,  in  a  permanent  way,  the  health  damage 
caused  by  the  explosion,  the  annual  expense  of  which  was 
to  be  shared  as  follows :  — - 

Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief  Committee, $.50,000 

Canadian  government  Halifax  Relief  Commission,  .        .        .       1.3,000 

Province  of  Nova  Scotia  and  the  city  of  Halifax,  at  least,      .        .       10,000 


$75,000 

At  the  request  of  the  Red  Cross  several  of  their  repre- 
sentatives accompanied  the  first  relief  train  to  Halifax. 
Their  work,  helpful  throughout,  proved  to  be  of  incalculable 
assistance  to  the  Committee.    Mr.  Endicott  wrote:  — 

The  aid  that  the  Red  Cross  has  given  to  the  Committee  in  this  emer- 
gency cannot  be  overestimated,  and  they  have  certainly  demonstrated 
that  they  possess  an  organization  which,  when  it  is  called  upon  in  an  emer- 
gency, can  and  will  respond  promptly  and  nobly. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Halifax  Relief  Com- 
mittee was  financed  neither  from  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety's  fund  of  $100,000  given  by  a  generous  citizenship, 
nor  from  the  $1,000,000  appropriation  of  the  Legislature, 
but  through  a  special  popular  subscription  given  in  behalf 
of  a  stricken  neighbor.  Although  the  work  of  rehabilitation 
will  continue  for  some  years  to  come,  and  remain  within  the 
control  of  the  branch  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  at 
Halifax,  its  relation  to  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  ceased  at  the  time  the  latter  was  dissolved, 
in  November,  1918. 

211 


Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief  Fund,  July  1,  1919 

Treasurer  s  Statement 

Total  subscriptions $699,189  91 

Rebates  on  bills, 192  36 

Interest  on  deposit, 17,095  35 

Total  receipts, $716,477  62 

Expenditures  for:  — 

Clothing, $32,214  55 

Material,                .                 23,167  36 

Furniture, 261,702  29 

Supplies, 40,369  64 

Other  essentials, 95,164  95 

Total  expenditures, 452,618  79 

Balance  on  hand, $263,858  83 

On  deposit  as  follows :  — 

Shawmut  Bank, $161,180  84 

United  States  Trust  Company, 102,677  99 

$263,858  83 


212 


CHAPTER  VI 


COMMITTEE   ON   COMMONWEALTH    MILITARY 
EMERGENCY   HOSPITAL 

James  J.  Phelan,  Chairman. 
Joseph  B.  Russell,  Vice-Chairman. 
George  H.  Lyman,  Secretary. 


Col.  William  A.  Brooks. 
Adj. -Gen.  Jesse  F.  Stevens,  Custo- 
dian. 


Brig.-Gen.      John      A.      Johnston, 

U.  S.  A. 
A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
John  F.  Stevens. 


In  January,  1918,  the  casualties  at  the  front  began  to  be 
listed  in  the  home  papers,  and  the  possibility  of  a  troopship 
returning  to  our  shores  with  invalided  soldiers  brought  about 
an  investigation  of  hospital  accommodations.  This  inquiry 
revealed  that  the  normal  bed  capacity  of  the  hospitals  in 
Massachusetts  was  only  6,000,  which  under  stress  of  circum- 
stances might  possibly  be  pushed  to  9,000. 

Dr.  Brooks,  Acting  Surgeon-General  of  the  Common- 
wealth, and  head  of  the  Brooks  Hospital,  Brookline,  was  the 
first  to  realize  the  serious  danger  of  the  situation,  and  sug- 
gested that  the  large  riding-ring  at  the  Commonwealth 
Avenue  Armory,  Boston,  might  be  converted  into  an  emer- 
gency hospital.  This  idea  he  submitted  to  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety,  who  approved  the  plan  and  brought  it  to 
the  attention  of  Governor  McCall. 

It  was  argued  that  the  necessity  of  establishing  such  a 
hospital  was  imperative  in  the  interests  of  the  public  safety, 
though  it  was  always  recognized  that  the  hospital  might 
never  have  to  be  used,  or,  if  at  all,  only  temporarily.  At 
the  same  time  it  was  pointed  out  that  under  any  circum- 
stances the  State  would  not  suffer  material  loss,  because 
«ven  if  the  hospital  had  to  be  abandoned,  its  fittings,  furnish- 


213 


ing  and  material  would  always  remain  useful  for  any  sudden 
emergency  or  for  permanent  institutions  under  State  control, 
or  could  be  turned  over  to  the  military  forces.  This  position 
was  fully  justified  at  the  time  of  the  influenza  epidemic, 
when  the  necessities  of  the  temporary  hospitals  were  largely 
supplied  from  the  Commonwealth  Emergency  Hospital. 

On  His  Excellency's  representation  and  advice  the  Council 
appropriated  $50,000  from  the  Massachusetts  War  Emer- 
gency Fund  of  $1,000,000  to  establish  and  equip  the  Com- 
monwealth Emergency  Hospital,  under  the  general  charge 
of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

The  Committee,  as  above  constituted,  met  on  January 
21,  and  voted  that  the  entire  medical  control  of  the  hos- 
pital should  be  placed  in  Dr.  Brooks's  hands,  with  full 
powers,  and  that  the  custody  of  the  property  should  be  put 
in  charge  of  Adjutant-General  Stevens.  Dr.  Brooks  was 
also  authorized  to  engage  the  services  of  a  matron  and 
nurse  to  take  charge  of  surgical  instruments,  dressings, 
supplies,  etc.,  whose  yearly  salary  was  not  to  exceed  $1,800. 

The  hospital  was  equipped  to  the  last  detail,  and  during 
the  entire  period  of  its  existence  had  two  trained  nurses  on 
duty  or  on  call  during  each  twenty-four  hours.  It  could  at 
any  time  have  been  opened  and  put  into  running  order  on 
four  hours'  notice.  The  State,  however,  is  to  be  congratu- 
lated that  no  necessity  for  its  use  ever  arose;  its  purpose 
was  merely  in  the  way  of  insurance. 

The  floor  space  allotted  at  the  armory,  175  by  300  feet, 
was  divided  into  twenty-two  wards  built  of  matched  boards 
with  canvas  roofs  sliding  on  wooden  frames,  and  was  venti- 
lated at  the  top.  It  contained  440  beds.  Passageways  were 
so  arranged  as  to  make  it  possible  for  a  large  number  of 
ambulances  to  drive  on  to  the  floor  of  the  hospital  and 
unload  simultaneously.  This  last  was  a  very  important 
feature,  as  in  most  hospitals,  owing  to  poor  facilities  for 
receiving  the  patients  at  the  point  of  entrance,  there  is 
customarily  a  long  delay  in  bringing  them  in,  especially  if 
a  large  number  arrive  at  about  the  same  time.     The  beds, 

214 


moreover,  were  so  disposed  as  to  enable  the  ambulances  to 
come  up  to  the  side  of  the  bed  to  which  the  patient  was  as- 
signed. Inasmuch  as  on  investigation  it  was  found  that  there 
were  practically  no  transportation  facilities  to  meet  a  great 
emergency  even  under  normal  circumstances,  the  purchase  of 
twenty  standard  Ford  ambulances  was  authorized  at  a  cost 
not  to  exceed  $15,000.  In  addition  to  the  above,  a  White 
ambulance  was  given  by  the  Retail  Trade  Board  of  the 
Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  two  Fords  by  the  Massa- 
chusetts  Golf  Association,  and  a  General  Motor  Company's 
ambulance  bv  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

The  experience  of  the  Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief  Com- 
mittee proved  how  invaluable  would  have  been  the  aid 
"rendered  at  the  time  of  that  disaster  if  an  emergency  truck 
had  been  obtainable  and  established  in  the  center  of,  or  near 
to,  the  devastated  district,  where  people  suffering  from 
severe  cuts,  burns  and  other  injuries  might  have  been  re- 
lieved to  a  great  extent  from  unnecessary  pain,  and  in 
many  cases  saved  the  necessity  of  going  to  a  hospital. 
Accordingly,  the  Emergency  Hospital  Committee  had  two 
Pierce-Arrow  trucks  made  with  special  bodies,  and  equipped 
them  with  a  supply  of  dressings  and  with  attendants  ready 
for  service.  These  trucks,  of  2-ton  capacity,  bought  and 
furnished  at  a  total  cost  of  about  $5,000,  were  each  capable 
of  carrying  six  or  seven  physicians  and  nurses,  and  both 
were  fitted  with  the  necessary  appliances  for  making  hot 
coffee  and  giving  a  limited  supply  of  food  and  stimulants. 

On  or  about  the  1st  of  April,  1919,  the  Council  decided 
that  there  was  no  longer  a  chance  of  any  hospital  emergency 
resulting  from  the  war.  Thereupon,  through  the  Adjutant- 
General's  office,  the  order  was  given  to  store  all  the  beds 
and  bedding  and  dispose  of  the  equipment.  These  directions 
were  carried  out,  and  the  Commonwealth  left  without  any 
emergency  hospital,  a  situation  which  is  deeply  to  be  re- 
gretted, since  the  maintenance  of  an  institution  of  that 
character  would  provide  against  incalculable  suffering  in 
case  of  any  great  disaster. 

215 


The  total  amount,  expended  by  the  Committee  in  behalf 
of  the  hospital,  including  ambulances,  equipment,  salaries 
of  nurses,  etc.,  was  $81,941.54. 

COMMITTEE   ON   TRAINING   AND   INSTRUCTION   OF 
DISABLED   SOLDIERS   AND   SAILORS 

James  J.  Phelan,  Chairman. 


J.  Randolph  Coolidge,  Jr. 
George  H.  Lyman. 
Guv  Murehie. 


J.  Frank  O'Hare. 
John  F.  Stevens. 
Col.  Jesse  F.  Stevens. 


In  his  inaugural  address  of  January  3,  1918,  Governor 
McCall  said :  — 

I  .  .  .  recommend  the  study  of  the  question  of  educating  men  who 
may  find  it  necessary,  on  account  of  injury  received  in  the  service,  to  re- 
new the  same  or  adopt  some  form  of  employment  other  than  that  which 
they  had  followed  before  entering  the  service,  should  the  national  govern- 
ment not  make  proper  provision  for  such  kind  of  education. 

The  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  wishing  to  give  effect 
to  this  recommendation,  decided  to  petition  for  legislation 
of  the  following  scope.  It  was  desired  to  recruit  the  indus- 
tries of  Massachusetts  from  returning  soldiers  and  sailors, 
residents  of  the  State,  discharged  from  the  service  of  either 
the  Ignited  States  or  its  Allies.  It  was  assumed  that  where 
partial  disability  had  been  incurred  in  war  service  it  might 
be  necessary  and  desirable  to  train  the  discharged  soldier 
and  sailor  so  as  to  fit  him  for  employment  in  the  industries 
carried  on  in  Massachusetts,  make  him  independent  of 
charitable  aid,  and  preserve  his  self-respect. 

It  was  recognized  that  the  Federal  government  would  in 
all  probability  undertake  the  re-education  and  training  of 
men  disabled  in  the  service  of  the  country,  but  until  legis- 
lation should  be  secured  by  action  of  Congress  there  might 
be  an  interval  in  which  no  public  provision  would  exist 
unless  action  were  taken  by  the  State  Legislature.  It  was 
also  deemed  important  to  authorize  the  Governor  to  make 

216 


use  of  any  existing  State  hospital,  school  or  workshop  for 
the  purpose  of  education  or  training,  whether  or  not  ade- 
quate measures  were  taken  by  the  State  or  by  the  Federal 
government;  and  it  was  believed  that  contracts  could  be 
made  by  the  agents  of  the  State  for  the  training  of  individual 
soldiers  and  sailors,  later  to  be  assigned  to  any  Federal 
agency  created  for  the  purpose  of  providing  this  education. 

The  Committee  on  Public  Safety  was  convinced  that  it 
would  be  of  advantage  to  the  State,  on  the  one  hand,  if 
men  capable  of  finding  employment  in  its  industries  should 
be  encouraged  to  accept  training,  and  to  the  Federal  govern- 
ment, on  the  other,  to  distribute  the  men  for  whose  training 
it  was  responsible  among  the  trade  schools  of  Massachusetts, 
and  also  among  the  industries  that  were  ready  to  provide 
training,  each  in  its  own  specialty. 

The  Committee  prepared  a  bill  which  was  somewhat 
modified  by  committees  of  the  Legislature,  but  was  enacted 
as  chapter  230  of  the  General  Acts  of  1918.  Under  this 
statute  the  Board  of  Education  was  directed  to  establish  a 
division  for  the  training  and  instruction  of  disabled  soldiers 
and  sailors  resident  in  Massachusetts  at  the  time  of  their 
discharge,  or  within  one  year  thereafter.  The  division  was 
to  consist  of  an  executive  head  appointed  by  the  Board  of 
Education,  and  an  advisory  board,  who  should  pass  upon 
questions  of  educational  policy,  and  assist  in  placing  men 
after  their  training  was  completed.  The  act  authorized  the 
Governor  to  transfer  with  the  consent  of  the  Council  the 
use  and  custody  of  any  State  hospital,  school  or  workshop, 
including  the  equipment  and  employees,  or  any  other 
suitable  resources  of  the  Commonwealth,  to  the  Board  of 
Education  for  a  period  not  exceeding  two  years  after  the 
termination  of  the  war.  It  authorized  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion to  make  contracts  to  provide  similar  facilities  where 
needed,  and  to  employ  teachers  and  supervisors  for  soldiers 
and  sailors  under  re-education.  The  Governor  was  author- 
ized to  lease  to,  or  permit  to  be  used  by,  the  United  States 
or  any  agency  thereof  any  suitable  resources  belonging  to 

217 


the  Commonwealth  for  the  purpose  of  re-education  and  re- 
habilitation in  industry  of  soldiers  and  sailors  in  the  service 
of  the  United  States  or  of  its  Allies.  An  appropriation  of 
$10,000  was  made  to  provide  the  necessary  expenditures 
under  this  legislation  during  the  fiscal  year  of  1918.  The 
act  was  approved  on  May  28,  1918,  and  only  after  that  date 
did  Massachusetts  boys  disabled  in  military  or  naval  service 
have  a  title  to  its  benefits.  It  was,  however,  looked  upon 
as  a  stop-gap  in  case  of  protracted  delay  by  the  Federal 
government  in  making  similar  provision  for  disabled  soldiers 
and  sailors  in  the  service  of  the  United  States.  On  June  21 
the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education  was  directed 
by  act  of  Congress  to  organize  the  training  and  placement 
of  such  men  after  their  discharge  from  government  hospitals, 
and  an  initial  appropriation  of  $2,000,000  gave  the  Board 
financial  means  sufficient  for  the  undertaking. 

The  Governor's  intention  was  carried  into  effect  in  form 
by  the  Legislature,  and  in  substance,  as  it  should  have 
been,  by  the  action  of  the  national  government. 


COMMITTEE  ON  HIGHWAYS  TRANSPORT  —  COUNCIL 
OF  NATIONAL  DEFENSE 

In  the  summer  of  1918  the  Council  of  National  Defense 
created  a  Highways  Transport  Committee  under  the  chair- 
manship of  Mr.  Roy  D.  Chapin  of  Detroit,  the  purpose  of 
which  was  to  bring  about  through  a  State  Committee  (ap- 
pointed by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  or  State  Council 
of  National  Defense  in  each  State)  an  effective  and  econom- 
ical use  of  the  public  highways  by  motor  vehicles,  particularly 
those  serving  the  needs  of  the  army  or  of  the  industries 
accessory  to  the  prosecution  of  the  war.  The  establishment 
of  Return  Load  Bureaus  of  rural  motor  express  lines,  and 
the  co-ordination  of  highway  transportation  with  trans- 
portation by  water  and  by  rail,  seemed  to  demand  careful 
attention  with  a  view  to  improving  the  distribution  of  food 
supplies  and  to  conserving  materials  and  labor  in  connection 

218 


with  motor  transportation.  Incidentally,  the  maintenance 
of  service  over  important  highways  liable  to  be  closed  by 
snowfall  or  spring  thawing  called  for  expert  study  and 
public  action. 

The  scheme  of  organization  of  the  Highways  Transport 
Committee  included  eleven  regional  directors,  appointed  by 
the  Council  of  National  Defense.  Of  these,  the  director  in 
charge  of  New  England,  not  including  Connecticut,  was  to 
have  his  headquarters  in  Boston,  and  to  keep  in  touch  with 
the  Committees  on  Public  Safety  of  Maine,  New  Hamp- 
shire, Vermont,  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts.  The 
Council  of  National  Defense,  through  Mr.  Chapin,  ap- 
Zvpointed  as  regional  director  for  Region  No.  1,  Mr.  J. 
Randolph  Coolidge,  Jr.,  of  Boston,  formerly  President  of 
the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce.  At  the  invitation  of  the 
Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  Mr.  Coolidge 
had  the  use  of  its  offices  at  the  State  House. 

In  August,  1918,  the  Council  of  National  Defense  asked 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  to  create  a  State  Com- 
mittee on  Highways  Transport,  to  succeed  to  the  functions 
of  its  Committee  on  Motors  and  Trucks,  and  to  assume  the 
additional  undertakings  planned  for  it  in  Washington. 

This  request  was  at  once  complied  with,  but  the  signing 
of  the  armistice  brought  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety's 
efforts  to  a  close  before  the  plan  could  be  fully  carried  out. 

Had  the  war  continued,  Massachusetts,  with  its  excep- 
tional activity  in  motor  truck  transportation,  would  doubt- 
less have  helped  largely  in  solving  the  problems  which  the 
Highways  Transport  Committee  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense  was  created  to  study. 


219 


CHAPTER  VII 
COMMITTEE   ON   AMERICANIZATION 

On   April   23,    1917,   the   following   Committee   was    ap- 
pointed :  — 

Alexander  Whiteside,  Chairman. 


B.  Preston  Clark. 
Chauncey  H.  Brewer. 


Bernard  J.  Rockwell. 
David  A.  Ellis. 


It  has  been  repeatedly  asked  what  was  the  direct  purpose 
of  this  Committee,  and  what  the  need  for  its  formation. 
Indeed,  what  was  meant  by  the  term  " Americanization " 
has  often  seemed  to  be  uncertain.  It  might  be  answered: 
Americanization  is  to  teach  the  foreign  elements  of  our  citi- 
zenship the  greatness  of  this  country,  both  physical  and 
spiritual;  to  interpret  to  them  its  system  and  aspirations; 
to  inculcate  in  their  minds  and  souls  the  American  idea  and 
what  it  offers;  to  banish  illiteracy  and  ignorance;  to  teach 
all  men  to  honor  our  flag  for  what  it  stands  for,  and  to 
revere  it  as  the  symbol  of  their  hopes  and  affections. 

In  Massachusetts,  with  its  extended  industrial  activities 
employing  nearly  400,000  foreign-born  citizens,  Americani- 
zation had  become  in  these  times  of  great  labor  unrest  a 
necessity,  and  its  neglect  a  menace.  At  the  outset  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety,  realizing  the  importance  of  edu- 
cating and  assimilating  this  foreign  element  in  our  midst, 
appointed  as  one  of  its  sub -commit  tees  a  Committee  on 
Patriotic  Activities  among  Non-English  Speaking  Peoples, 
a  name  later  changed  to  the  Committee  on  Patriotic  Assimi- 
lation, which  organized  similar  committees  in  many  cities 
and  towns.  It  soon  became  apparent,  however,  that  con- 
siderable overlapping  of  effort  and  great  confusion  resulted 
due  to  the  formation  locally  of  independent  committees  of 
like  character,  so  that  much  time  was  lost.  Finally,  at  the 
request  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  the  Committee 

220 


on  Public  Safety,  in  an  endeavor  to  co-ordinate  all  American- 
ization work  undertaken  in  the  Commonwealth,  formed 
the  Committee  on  Americanization,  June  4,  1918. 

About  3  per  cent  of  the  entire  population  of  the  State 
can  neither  read  nor  write  any  Language.  Eleven  and  one 
half  per  cent  (228,062)  of  those  ten  years  of  age  or  over, 
though  able  to  read  and  write  some  language,  have  no 
knowledge  of  English.  Secretary  Lane  of  the  Interior 
Department  stated  that  in  the  whole  United  States  there 
were  over  5,500,000  of  the  above  ages  equally  ignorant,  of 
which  number  practically  4,500,000  were  twenty  years  of 
age  or  over. 

/<  Again,  three-tenths  of  the  Massachusetts  population  is 
foreign  born,  and  one-half  of  this  number  come  from  non- 
English  speaking  countries. 

Mr.  James  A.  Mover,  head  of  the  Department  of  Uni- 
versity Extension,  State  Board  of  Education,  in  a  bulletin 
issued  by  him  and  from  which  the  above  figures  are  taken, 
says : — ■ 

It  is  perhaps  fair  to  conclude  that  the  people  in  general  have  not  fully 
understood  the  significance  of  the  presence  in  our  body  politic  of  this  large 
unassimilated  mass  of  humanity,  —  a  most  potential  power  for  good  or 
evil. 

On  June  5,  at  the  request  of  the  Federal  government,  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety  and  the  Massachusetts  Divi- 
sion of  the  Women's  Council  of  National  Defense  called 
together  a  large  meeting  of  the  civic  organizations  and  indi- 
viduals advocating  Americanization,  in  order  to  promote  a 
general  interest  in  the  movement  and  to  lay  plans  for  an 
effective  co-ordination.  At  this  meeting,  which  was  largely 
attended,  it  was  determined  that  in  carrying  on  the  work  all 
agencies  were  to  act  voluntarily  and  without  any  coercion. 
A  resolution  offered  by  Mr.  E.  F.  McGrady,  Secretary- 
Treasurer  of  the  Boston  Central  Labor  Union,  pledging  the 
co-operation  of  all  present  in  support  of  the  Committee's 
undertaking,  was  unanimously  agreed  to. 

221 


The  Americanization  Committee  divided  itself  into  four- 
teen sub-committees,  —  Executive,  Publicity,  Community 
Organizations,  Racial  Groups,  Education,  Industry,  Labor, 
Naturalization,  Immigration,  Peace  Activities,  Speakers, 
Private  Agencies,  Women's  Organization,  and  Public 
Agencies  in  National  Problems. 

This  extensive  organization  was  being  energetically  per- 
fected when  the  war  ended.  The  Committee  on  the  Termi- 
nation of  War  Activities,  appointed  by  Governor  McCall 
to  wind  up  the  affairs  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety, 
expressed  its  earnest  recommendation  that  the  work  of  the 
Committee  on  Americanization  should  be  continued  in  the 
future  by  means  of  State  and  national  agencies. 

COMMITTEE    ON    LANDLORD    AND    TENANT  —  WAR 

PROFITEERING 


George  H.  Lyman,  Chairman. 
W.  L.  Putnam,  Secretary. 


Samuel  L.  Powers. 
Robert  Winsor. 
John  F.  Stevens. 


P.  R.  Frothingham. 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 


In  August,  1918,  Mr.  George  P.  Hyde,  housing  adjuster 
of  the  Emergency  Fleet  Corporation,  and  Mr.  Henry  A. 
Burnham,  head  of  the  real  estate  department  of  the  Ship- 
building Corporation  at  Quincy,  called  to  the  attention  of 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  the  unsatisfactory  relations 
existing  between  landlord  and  tenant  at  Quincy,  due  to  the 
concentration  of  workmen  in  localities  where  war  work  was 
being  carried  on,  and  to  the  shortage  of  dwellings  to  harbor 
them.  Tenants,  employees  of  the  Ship  Building  Corpora- 
tion, found  themselves  without  redress  in  case  of  exorbitant 
increases  in  rent,  the  delayed  payment  of  which  caused 
threatened  ejectment  under  the  owners'  common-law  right. 
The  subject  embraced  the  whole  question  of  landlord  and 
tenant  in  its  relation  to  war  profiteering. 

The  landlord  protested  that  the  charges  he  had  to  pay  for 

222 


food,  fire,  insurance,  taxes,  coal,  interest  on  mortgages,  and 
the  up-keep  of  his  realty  holdings,  had  materially  advanced. 
All  this  was  undeniably  true.  On  the  other  hand,  the  argu- 
ment was  made  that  as  the  whole  country  was  sacrificing, 
the  landlords  should  patriotically  do  their  share  as  soldiers 
of  the  home  army. 

Mr.  Endicott  brought  the  matter  to  the  attention  of 
Acting  Governor  Coolidge,  who,  under  the  authority  con- 
ferred upon  the  Executive  by  the  Commonwealth  Defence 
Act,  to  meet  all  exigencies  that  might  arise  relating  to  the 
public  defense,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1918,  issued  the 
following  proclamation:  — 

*■  Whereas,  The  necessity  for  greatly  increased  production  of  munitions 
of  war,  ships  and  materials  required  for  the  prosecution  of  the  present  war 
has  made  necessary  the  assemblage  in  localities  where  the  same  are  pro- 
duced of  large  numbers  of  workmen,  and  thereby  has  created  a  shortage  in 
the  supply  of  dwelling  places  for  such  workers  and  their  families;   and 

It  appears  that,  while  the  majority  of  landlords  are  recognizing  the 
needs  of  their  country  and  dealing  fairly  with  their  tenants,  certain  un- 
patriotic persons  in  these  localities  are  unduly  increasing  rents,  unjustly 
evicting  or  seeking  to  evict  such  workmen  and  their  families  unless  their 
demands  for  the  payment  of  exorbitant  and  unreasonably  high  rentals 
are  complied  with,  and  thereby  handicapping  and  embarrassing  the  Fed- 
eral authorities  in  steps  designed  to  secure  a  successful  prosecution  of  the 
war,  and  consequently  prejudicing  and  threatening  the  public  safety  and 
welfare  of  the  Commonwealth; 

Now,  therefore,  I,  Calvin  Coolidge,  Lieutenant-Governor,  Acting  Gov- 
ernor, by  virtue  of  authority  vested  in  me  by  chapter  342  of  the  General 
Acts  of  1917,  having  determined  that  circumstances  warrant  the  exercise 
of  the  powers  hereinafter  mentioned,  do  hereby,  with  the  approval  of  the 
Council,  confer  upon  the  following-named  person,  to  wit,  Henry  B.  Endi- 
cott, executive  manager  of  the  Massachusetts  Public  Safety  Committee, 
the  power  and  authority  in  the  name  of  the  Governor  of  the  Common- 
wealth to  take  possession  of  any  buildings  and  so  much  of  the  land  of  the 
owners  of  such  buildings  adjacent  thereto  as  he  may  determine,  which 
buildings  are  or  may  be  occupied  by  workmen  or  the  families  of  workmen 
employed  in  the  production  of  munitions  of  war,  ships,  or  articles,  mate- 
rials or  substances  directly  or  indirectly  used  or  employed  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  war,  for  such  time  and  in  such  manner  as  he  shall  deem  for  the 
interests  of  the  Commonwealth  or  its  inhabitants,  together  with  the  power 
and  authority  granted  by  section  23  of  said  act  to  conduct  any  investiga- 

223 


tion  he  deems  expedient  with  reference  to  housing  facilities  for  war  workers, 
to  publish,  as  therein  authorized,  any  data  obtained,  and,  in  making  such 
investigation,  to  exercise  all  the  powers  which  might  be  exercised  by  the 
Governor  by  virtue  of  said  section  in  aid  thereof. 

And  I  do  hereby  direct  him  forthwith  to  prepare  and  publish  rules  and 
regulations  governing   the  conduct  and   action   of  such   landowners   and 
landlords  with  reference  to  such  properties  and  tenants,  in  default  of  the 
observance  of  which  the  powers  hereby  conferred  will  be  exercised. 
Witness  my  hand  this  twenty-eighth  day  of  August,  1918. 

Calvin  Coolidge. 
Approved  in  Council  August  28,  1918. 

E.  F.  Hamlin, 
Executive  Secretary. 

On  the  same  date  Mr.  Endicott,  after  appointing  the 
above  Committee,  delegated  to  them  the  powers  given  to 
him  under  the  Governor's  proclamation. 

Immediately  applications  in  person  and  by  letter  began 
to  pour  in  from  every  direction,  complaining  of  increases  in 
rent  and  often  demanding  the  reduction  of  long-established 
pre-war  rentals.  At  least  one-half  of  the  cases  brought  to 
the  attention  of  the  Committee  were  associated  in  no  way 
whatever  with  government  employment  or  dwellings  within 
homing  distance  of  government  activities.  In  order  to  pre- 
vent further  misunderstandings,  and  to  take  advantage  of 
the  patriotism  of  the  landlords  and  avoid  as  far  as  possible 
requisitioning  or  other  drastic  procedure,  the  Committee 
advised  Mr.  Endicott  to  issue  the  following  statement :  — 

Keep  Rents  Low 

Y\  e  have  all  noticed  the  influx  of  workmen  into  certain  places  in  Massa- 
chusetts where  there  are  munition  plants,  shipbuilding  plants,  and  similar 
great  industries  doing  government  work  or  other  necessary  war  work. 

This  has  given  great  opportunity  to  owners  of  real  estate  to  showT  their 
patriotism  by  keeping  their  rents  as  low  as  present  conditions  warrant, 
and  refraining  from  taking  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered  for 
profiteering. 

The  splendid  spirit  with  which  every  one  has  responded  to  all  patriotic 
requests  shows  that  the  people  are  glad  to  have  ways  pointed  out  to  them 
in  which  to  prove  their  readiness  to  make  sacrifices  for  the  government  and 
for  the  boys  "over  there." 

224 


Having  been  very  recently  directed  by  the  Governor  to  make  investi- 
gation of  alleged  profiteering,  and  if  necessary  to  take  possession  of  land 
where  the  welfare  of  the  Commonwealth  requires  it,  it  has  seemed  to  us 
wise,  as  a  first  step,  to  make  this  appeal  to  the  patriotism  of  landlords  and 
of  those  having  rooms  to  let,  with  the  full  confidence  that  the  vast  ma- 
jority will  welcome  the  suggestion  as  an  opportunity. 

This  statement  resulted,  almost  immediately,  in  a  distinct 
falling  off  of  applications  by  tenants  for  relief.  Moreover, 
although  the  powers  given  by  the  proclamation  were  limited 
to  cases  in  which  the  rent  payer  was  actually  engaged  in 
war  work,  the  Committee,  by  friendly  representations  to 
landlords,  and  backed  by  the  moral  influence  that  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety  held  in  the  community,  was  often 
able  to  settle  differences  between  landlord  and  tenant  and 
prevent  further  friction  between  them,  although  the  par- 
ticular case  in  point  might  be  outside  the  stated  province 
of  the  Committee. 

The  Committee,  however,  found  great  difficulty  in  deter- 
mining the  proper  basis  of  rental  for  any  given  locality.  It 
realized  that,  notwithstanding  the  source  from  which  its 
power  emanated  and  the  legal  authorization  given  under 
the  Defence  Act,  the  measure  in  itself  was  so  extreme  as 
well  as  contrary  to  the  traditional  rights  of  landlord  and 
tenant  as  established  by  common  and  statute  law  that  in 
every  case  dealt  with  the  utmost  caution  became  necessary. 

On  consultation  with  Mr.  Charles  F.  Choate,  Jr.,  of  official 
counsel  for  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  it  was  advised 
that  while  the  power  to  declare  and  prosecute  war  had  been 
delegated  to  Congress  and  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  it  would  seem,  inasmuch  as  war  had  been  declared 
and  the  President  was  engaged  in  the  exercise  of  all  necessary 
powers  in  the  direction  of  war,  that  the  Commonwealth 
Defence  Act  was  in  full  harmony  with  the  action  of  Congress 
and  the  President,  and  that  there  was  a  residuum  of  war 
power  retained  by  the  Commonwealth  of  which  the  Defence 
Act  was  also  a  proper  exercise;  moreover,  that  the  Com- 
mittee on  Landlord  and  Tenant  was  justified  in  acting  under 

225 


this  assumption  until  such  time  as  a  court  of  competent 
jurisdiction  should  declare  to  the  contrary.  Likewise,  a 
provision  of  the  Defence  Act  provided  that  "Whenever  the 
governor  shall  believe  it  necessary  or  expedient  for  the 
purpose  of  better  securing  the  public  safety  or  the  defence 
or  welfare  of  the  commonwealth,  he  may  with  the  approval 
of  the  council  take  possession:  (a)  Of  any  land  or  build- 
ings, .  .  ."  and  it  was  most  certainly  necessary  for  the 
public  safety,  defense  and  welfare  of  the  Commonwealth 
that  the  work  in  the  shipbuilding  and  munition  plants 
should  continue  without  interruption,  and  as  a  necessary 
incident  to  this  work  that  the  workmen  should  be  properly 
housed.  Again,  where  a  landlord  asked  an  exorbitant  rent, 
he  was  in  a  way  refusing  the  use  of  his  property  for  a  neces- 
sary public  purpose,  and  under  such  circumstances  the  Gov- 
ernor had  a  right  to  exercise  the  power  given  him  by  section 
6  of  the  Defence  Act. 

It  was  also  determined  that  a  practical  method  of  exer- 
cising the  power  would  be  for  the  Committee  to  designate 
areas,  reasonably  adjacent  to  the  shipyards  and  munition 
works  where  housing  needs  existed,  sufficiently  large  to 
properly  accommodate  a  fair  proportion  of  the  workmen 
employed;  and,  having  fixed  these  areas,  if  in  any  instance 
it  appeared  that  the  workmen  could  not  obtain  housing 
therein  at  reasonable  prices,  then  to  exercise  the  power  of 
eminent  domain  given  by  section  6.  What  the  extent  of 
this  area  should  be  would  have  to  be  determined  by  circum- 
stances, and  it  might  conceivably  follow  that  a  first  delimita- 
tion would  have  to  be  enlarged.  Wherever  a  rental  within 
the  delimited  area  was  made  the  subject  of  complaint,  an 
investigation  should  be  made  in  order  to  satisfy  the  Com- 
mittee whether  the  rent  demanded  amounted  to  a  practical 
refusal  to  lease,  and  was  sufficient  to  justify  the  Committee's 
acting  under  the  statute.  The  Committee  carried  on  its 
work  in  general  accordance  with  the  above  advice,  though  as 
a  matter  of  fact  it  was  found  unnecessary  to  map  out  areas. 

WThen  any  one  complained  to  the  Committee  of  an  un- 

226 


reasonable  rent  charged,  or  that  eviction  was  threatened, 
the  following  questionnaire  was  given  to  be  signed  by  both 
employer  and  complainant:  — 

1.  Name  and  address  of  person  making  complaint,  or  for  whom  complaint 

is  made 

2.  Name  of  company  by  whom  employed 

3.  Name  and  address  of  owner  of  premises 

4.  Name  and  address  of  his  agent  or  attorney 


5.  Is  complainant  married? 

Number  of  children 

6.  Present  rent Rent  asked Estimated 

fair  rent Previous  rents  of  the  same  rooms 

7.  Description  of  tenement 

Number  of  rooms Floor  on  which  it  is  situated,  back 

or  front Other  particulars 

I  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  statements  are  correct  and  true. 
And  I  hereby  request  your  assistance  in  having  the  rent  fixed  at 
Date 

Complainant. 

Approval  of  Employer 
The  above-named  is  an  employee  of 

ours,  and  we  approve  of  the  foregoing  application  made  by  him  in  regard 
to  his  rent. 


It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  an  analysis  of  the  applications 
made  by  tenants  shows  that  the  landlords  as  a  class  did  not 
attempt  to  avail  themselves  of  their  opportunity  to  get 
excessive  increases  of  rents  as  a  result  of  war  emergencies. 
On  the  contrary,  it  would  appear  that  the  rents  seldom 
rose  in  proportion  to  the  landlords'  increased  expenses  for 
labor,  building  materials,  wages  of  janitors,  interest  on  bank 
mortgages,  cost  of  living,  etc.  In  the  many  applications  for 
relief  that  were  received,  —  all  of  which  were  carefully  con- 
sidered, — ■  wherever  in  the  opinion  of  the  Committee  the 
circumstances  justified  any  interference  the  landlord  was 
induced  to  waive  or  compromise  his  claim  in  almost  every 

227 


instance.  In  no  case  was  it  found  necessary  to  exercise  the 
power  of  requisition  authorized  by  the  Governor's  proclama- 
tion. In  short,  notwithstanding  the  unusual  and  drastic 
powers  given  to  the  Committee,  the  universally  prevailing 
patriotism  made  their  direct  exercise  unnecessary. 


COMMITTEE   ON   COMMERCIAL   ECONOMY 


Walter  C.  Baylies,  Chairman. 
W.  L.  Putnam,  Vice-Chairman. 
Matthew  Luce,  Secretary. 


Henry  B.  Endieott. 
B.  Preston  Clark. 
Levi  H.  Greenwood. 
Mrs.  Herbert  J.  Gurney. 
J.  Frank  O'Hare. 
George  H.  Lyman. 


James  J.  Phelan. 
A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
John  F.  Stevens. 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 
Charles  F.  Weed. 


The  activities  of  this  Committee  were  more  especially 
directed  to  conservation  and  economy  in  retail  deliveries 
throughout  the  State. 

It  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Committee  that 
paper  was  wasted  to  an  extravagant  degree  by  the  unneces- 
sary wrapping  of  articles  bought  in  stores.  The  conserva- 
tion of  paper  and  twine  would  seem  on  its  face  of  little 
material  value  in  the  interest  of  saving,  but  an  examination 
into  the  subject  showed  conclusively  that  the  price  of  these 
commodities  having  risen  so  enormously  in  value  it  was  for 
the  benefit  not  only  of  the  merchant  but  likewise  of  the 
public  that  great  care  should  be  taken  to  prevent  further 
waste  in  either  material. 

The  cost  to  department  and  large  specialty  stores  for  each 
package  delivered  was  figured  to  be  from  8  to  25  per  cent 
on  the  purchase  price,  according  to  the  size  of  the  bundle. 
The  stores  claimed  that  this  large  percentage  was  chiefly  due 
to  an  unjustifiable  demand  on  the  part  of  the  customers  for 
wholly  unnecessary  service,  besides  their  refusal  to  carry 
small  bundles  which  would  not  inconvenience  them  in  the 

228 


least.  Moreover,  inasmuch  as  many  goods  sold  are  likely 
to  be  returned,  the  merchants  had  to  take  the  loss  entailed 
by  an  unpaid-for  wrapping  and  tying  into  consideration. 
In  the  last  analysis  this  uncalled  for  expense  naturally  came 
out  of  the  pocket  of  the  consumer.  It  was  estimated  by  the 
Commercial  Economy  Board  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense  that  the  services  of  thousands  of  men  engaged  in 
the  delivery  of  goods  coidd  be  dispensed  with  and  made 
available  directly  for  war  purposes,  or  indirectly  for  other 
lines  of  business;  and  inasmuch  as  the  coming  draft  calls 
made  it  essential  to  conserve  in  every  possible  way  the  man 
power  of  the  country,  all  unnecessary  employment  should  be 
avoided,  thereby  reducing  the  cost  of  operation,  and,  as 
ancillary  thereto,  the  price  to  consumers. 

Again,  in  order  to  save  wasting  paper  and  string  by  send- 
ing out  parcels  in  superfluous  wrappings,  at  the  request  of 
the  Commercial  Economy  Board  at  Washington  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety,  through  its  Committee  on  Com- 
mercial Economy,  took  this  conservation  also  in  hand,  and 
Mr.  Endicott  called  a  meeting  at  headquarters  in  the  State 
House  of  representatives  of  the  leading  department  and 
specialty  stores,  and  advised  them  on  the  following  general 
lines:  — 

1.  That  delivery  service  be  restricted  to  not  more  than  one  trip  a  day 
over  each  route. 

2.  That  the  privilege  of  returning  merchandise  be  limited  to  three  days, 
and  that  special  deliveries  be  eliminated. 

3.  That  co-operative  delivery  systems  should  be  introduced  wherever 
practicable. 

In  some  communities  special  service  was  in  part  elimi- 
nated by  making  a  charge  for  every  such  delivery;  also  the 
handling  of  needless  C.  O.  D.  orders,  wherever  it  was  serious 
enough  to  need  correcting,  was  regulated  by  requiring  a 
deposit. 

On  the  general  proposition,  those  present  at  the  meeting 
were  in  complete  harmony  in  their  willingness  to  comply 

229 


with  the  requests  of  the  national  government,  and  the 
assurance  prevailed  that  a  fair-minded  public  would  meet 
the  conditions  imposed  in  a  proper  spirit.  To  this  end  a 
recommendation  was  issued  to  introduce  a  system  of  one 
delivery  a  day  on  certain  routes,  and  on  others  of  but  one 
delivery  a  day  to  each  customer.  It  was  further  recom- 
mended that  the  privilege  of  returning  goods,  either  for 
exchange  or  credit,  be  limited  to  three  days;  that  special 
deliveries  be  done  away  with;  that  co-operative  delivery 
systems  be  introduced  wherever  practicable;  and  that  all 
non-essential  operations  be  curtailed  or  entirely  dropped. 
These  suggestions  were  given  widespread  publicity,  the 
slogan  being,  "Carry  a  bundle  and  help  release  a  man  for 
war  work,"  and  were  at  once  taken  up  and  followed  out  by 
practically  all  the  retail  stores  represented.  An  example  of 
this  was  the  assurance  given  of  cordial  co-operation  by 
more  than  five  hundred  druggists  from  different  sections  of 
the  State. 

The  Committee  at  one  time  also  worked  out  what  appeared 
to  be  a  very  promising  plan  for  salvaging  iron,  copper  and 
various  other  materials  which  commonly  went  to  the  junk 
dealer,  an  idea  that  had  already  been  carried  through  suc- 
cessfully in  several  large  western  States.  However,  owing 
chiefly  to  the  fact  that  the  Council  of  National  Defense  at 
Washington  had,  in  the  interest  of  retail  merchants,  been 
for  several  months  preparing  a  scheme  for  reducing  to  a 
minimum  every  cost  of  operation,  the  Economy  Committee 
held  their  salvage  plan  in  abeyance  while  carrying  out  the 
general  recommendations  of  the  Washington  Board. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1918,  Mrs.  Thayer  and  Mr. 
Endicott  issued  a  joint  letter  to  the  press,  in  which  they 
asked  the  people  of  Massachusetts  to  save  all  peach  stones 
and  dry  them  thoroughly,  saying  in  part :  — 

In  most  localities  the  larger  stores  and  the  Red  Cross  headquarters  are 
being  asked  to  attend  to  the  collection  and  distribution  of  these  stones. 

In  Boston  and  vicinity  they  can  be  sent  to  almost  any  large  department 
store,  or  to  the  Red  Cross  headquarters  at  142  Berkeley  Street,  to  their 

230 


cottage  on  the  Common,  or  to  any  of  their  brandies  throughout  the  city. 
They  will  be  held  by  the  stores  and  by  the  Red  Cross  subject  to  instructions 
as  to  shipping  from  the  Gas  Defense  Division  of  the  United  States  Army. 

Later  an  opportunity  will  be  given  to  the  people  to  help  the  government 
by  saving  other  fruit  stones,  but  it  is  thought  best  at  this  time  to  concen- 
trate the  saving  on  peach  stones. 

The  material  derived  from  100  peach  stones  furnishes  the  necessary 
carbon  for  one  gas  mask. 

On  July  L2L2,  in  accordance  with  the  recommendations  of 
the  War  Industries  Board  appointed  by  the  President,  Mr. 
Endicott  issued  a  letter  to  all  grocers,  provision  dealers  and 
their  customers  in  regard  to  the  saving  of  labor,  gasoline, 
rubber,  stock  feed,  etc.,  and  urging  them  to  arrange  their 
iiusiness  so  as  to  eliminate  unnecessary  trips  over  any  one 
route.  Householders  were  also  asked  to  place  their  orders, 
as  far  as  possible,  but  once  a  day,  and  that  on  the  day  before 
the  delivery  was  desired;  and  further,  on  account  of  the 
overburdening  of  deliveries  prevailing  on  Fridays  and 
Saturdays,  they  were  requested  to  arrange  so  that  non- 
perishable  supplies  should  be  delivered  early  in  the  week. 

In  respect  to  every  one  of  these  restrictions  and  recom- 
mendations the  people  of  Massachusetts  showed  a  very 
willing  spirit  in  seconding  the  efforts  of  the  Commercial 
Economy  Committee  in  the  interest  of  conservation. 

COMMITTEE   ON   NON-WAR   CONSTRUCTION 

A.  C.  Ratshesky,  Chairman. 
Stuart  W.  Webb,  Vice-Chairman. 
Leonard  W.  Cronkhite,  Secretary. 


Harold  L.  Bond. 
A.  K.  Cohen. 
Frederick  H.  Curtiss. 
Levi  H.  Greenwood. 
James  H.  Hustis. 
Everett  W.  Lord. 
James  E.  McLaughlin. 


J.  Frank  O'Hare. 
Joseph  B.  Russell. 
William  D.  Sohier. 
James  J.  Storrow. 
Commodore  B.  T.  Walling. 
Fred  A.  Wilson. 
Colonel  A.  W.  Yates. 


Demands  for  labor  and  material  for  war  purposes  became 
so  pressing  in  the  latter  part  of  1918  that  the  War  Industries 


231 


Board  at  Washington  requested  all  Councils  of  National 
Defense  and  Committees  on  Publie  Safety  throughout  the 
country  to  organize  hoards  on  non-war  construction,  for 
the  purpose  of  curtailing  such  expenditures  of  labor  and 
material  in  building  operations  as  could  properly  be  post- 
poned during  the  war  period.  Washington  set  the  standard 
and  the  method  of  organization  to  be  followed  in  the  other 
States,  the  idea  being  to  unite  all  interests  in  any  way  con- 
nected with  building  operations,  including  labor  and  ma- 
terial. Massachusetts  was  the  first  to  form  a  Committee 
for  this  purpose,  and  its  plan  of  organization  was  carried 
out  in  everv  city  and  town  of  the  Commonwealth  in  accord- 
ance  with  the  instructions  of  the  War  Industries  Board. 

The  Committee  constantly  sent  information  through  news- 
papers and  local  boards  of  the  State  on  rulings  regarding 
such  forms  of  construction  as  were  deemed  less  essential  to 
winning  the  war. 

Acting  with  the  regional  advisor,  whose  scope  covered 
strictly  war  construction,  and  the  Highway  Commission, 
whose  field  embraced  highway  construction,  the  Committee 
codified  and  printed  all  rulings  bearing  on  construction,  and 
likewise  published,  in  advance  of  Washington,  forms  of 
application  for  permits  to  build.  These  forms  and  summaries 
of  rulings  were  given  wide  distribution  within  the  State, 
and  were  also  copied  and  used  by  neighboring  States.  Re- 
vised editions  were  printed  as  changes  in  rulings  demanded. 

Meetings  of  the  Committee,  held  at  the  State  House,  were 
particularly  well  attended  by  its  members,  already  burdened 
with  other  war  work.  Applications  approved  by  local 
boards  of  each  city  and  town  in  the  State  were  handled 
promptly  and  passed  upon  for  transmission  to  Washington, 
with  recommendations  that  permits  be  granted. 

The  total  number  of  applications  considered  by  the  Com- 
mittee between  September  24,  1918,  and  November  22,  1918, 
when  its  work  ended,  was  235;  approvals  for  permits,  182. 
It  was  estimated  that  $30,000,000  worth  of  building  was 
deferred,  in  addition  to  the  permits  refused,  on  account  of 

232 


the  restrictions  placed  by  the  State,  the  intent  of  the  Com- 
mittee being  to  hold  back  everything  of  a  non-essential 
building  character  until  after  the  war. 

The  decisions  of  the  Committee  were  accepted  by  the 
public  in  a  truly  loyal  and  generous  spirit,  notwithstanding 
that  in  many  cases  a  great  hardship  was  imposed.  Con- 
ferences with  those  interested  were  frequently  held  in  order 
to  convince  the  applicants  of  the  great  necessity  of  conserving 
labor  and  materials.  The  ability  of  the  Board  to  get  expert 
testimony  from  its  own  membership  on  the  many  types  of 
application  coming  before  it  resulted  in  despatch,  and  con- 
stantly justified  the  wisdom  of  its  composition  and  the 
op-ordination  of  so  many  representative  elements  within  its 
membership.  The  Board  and  its  chairman  received  recog- 
nition of  this  fact  in  communications  from  Washington. 

The  expenses  of  the  Board,  clerical  and  printing,  were 
borne  by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 


233 


CHAPTER  VIII 

INFLUENZA  EPIDEMIC  OF  THE  AUTUMN  OF  1918.  — 
EMERGENCY   HEALTH   COMMITTEE 

On  September  25,  1918,  Governor  McCall  appointed  the 
following  as  members  of  this  Committee :  — 

Henry  B.  Endicott,  Chairman. 
W.  L.  Putnam,  Manager. 
Matthew  Luce,  Secretary. 


Dr.  William  A.  Brooks. 
Miss  B.  W.  Billings. 
B.  Preston  Clark. 
Dr.  E.  R.  Kelley. 
George  H.  Lyman. 
Mrs.  F.  S.  Mead. 
W.  Rodman  Peabodv. 


James  J.  Phelan. 

A.  C.  Ratshesky. 

Adj. -Gen.  Jesse  F.  Stevens. 

John  F.  Stevens. 

Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 

Dr.  William  C.  Woodward. 


Early  in  September,  1918,  it  was  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  Dr.  E.  R.  Kelley,  State  Health  Commissioner  of 
Massachusetts,  that  the  influenza  scourge  had  broken  out 
in  the  State.  The  rapid  increase  of  this  disease,  as  is  well 
known,  was  unprecedented.  By  about  September  15 
Quincy,  Revere  and  Boston  were  badly  affected,  and  the 
situation  also  in  Chelsea,  Gloucester  and  Brockton  very 
quickly  became  serious.  From  this  time  on  the  epidemic 
spread  throughout  the  Commonwealth  in  every  direction. 

The  resources  at  the  disposal  of  the  regular  State  depart- 
ments being  inadequate  to  deal  with  the  emergency,  the 
Governor's  Council  appropriated  for  the  emergency  $100,- 
000.    This  was  afterwards  increased  to  $500,000. 

Dr.  Kelley,  Dr.  W.  A.  Brooks  and  Adjutant-General 
Stevens  reported  to  the  other  members  of  the  Committee 
what  had  already  been  done  by  the  State,  and  explained 
the  needs  of  the  situation. 

234 


Dr.  Brooks,  who  was  employed  by  the  United  States 
Shipping  Board  to  take  charge  of  its  numerous  patients, 
had  already,  September  9,  established  an  emergency  tent 
or  field  hospital  on  Corey  Hill.  Here  he  brought  the  methods 
of  treating  the  influenza  epidemic  and  protecting  the  nurses 
and  attendants  to  such  a  state  of  perfection  that  this  hos- 
pital served  as  a  model  for  all  others  thereafter  established 
in  the  State. 

Owing  to  the  foresight  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
and  the  Governor's  Council  in  providing  equipment  for  the 
Commonwealth  Military  Emergency  Hospital,  the  Adjutant- 
General  was  able  without  delay  to  furnish  Dr.  Brooks  with 
Jail  the  additional  equipment  necessary  for  his  emergency 
field  hospital. 

The  gravest  feature  of  the  situation  was  found  to  be  a 
shortage  of  doctors,  nurses  and  assistants.  Dr.  Kelley 
telegraphed  to  Surgeon-General  Blue  of  the  United  States 
Public  Health  Service  at  Washington,  asking  for  his  aid  in 
obtaining  doctors.  Dr.  Kelley  also  appointed  a  nursing 
Committee,  with  Miss  Billings  of  his  department  as  chair- 
man, which  endeavored  to  obtain  as  many  nurses  as  possible. 

The  first  task  confronting  the  Committee  was  to  assist 
in  securing  and  assigning  doctors  and  nurses  to  meet  the 
pathetic  appeals  for  help  pouring  in  from  every  section  of 
the  State.  The  next  was  to  awaken  the  public  to  the  gravity 
of  the  danger,  and  to  do  everything  possible  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  the  disease. 

The  various  activities  of  the  Committee  will  be  discussed 
under  the  following  heads:  — 


Doctors. 

Nurses. 

Lay  help  for  nurses. 

Emergency  hospitals. 

Investigation  of  vaccines. 

Convalescents. 

Children. 

Burials. 

Emergency  canteens. 


Supplies. 
Transportation. 
Report  of  Public  Safety. 
Committees,  hospitals,  etc. 
Protection  and  quarantine. 
Location  of  work  and  personnel. 
Finance. 

Follow-up    work    and    preparation 
for  the  future. 


-235 


Doctors.  -  The  American  Medical  Association  had  long 
since  realized  that,  so  many  doctors  having  gone  into  the 
military  service,  vigorous  steps  should  be  taken  to  provide 
proper  medical  attention  for  the  civilian  population  in  order 
to  meet  just  such  an  emergency  as  now  presented  itself. 
Accordingly,  a  volunteer  medical  corps  had  been  established 
which  every  physician  in  the  country,  not  in  the  service, 
was  invited  to  join,  with  the  request  that  he  fill  out  a  blank 
stating  what  help  he  would  be  able  to  render,  and  par- 
ticularly, whether  he  was  willing  to  serve  in  another  than 
his  home  community.'  Nearly  all  the  members  of  the  pro- 
fession joined  this  corps. 

When  Dr.  Kelley  appealed  to  Surgeon-General  Blue  for 
aid,  the  latter  selected  from  the  list  of  members  of  the 
volunteer  medical  corps  certain  physicians  in  those  com- 
munities which  were  free  from  the  plague,  and  wired  them 
to  report  as  soon  as  possible  to  Dr.  W.  F.  Draper,  State 
House,  Boston.  He  likewise  asked  them  to  be  prepared  to 
render  any  service  which  might  be  required  of  them  in 
fighting  the  epidemic. 

In  patriotic  response  to  this  appeal  men  came  from  as  far 
west  as  Iowa  and  as  far  south  as  North  Carolina,  dropping 
in  many  cases  lucrative  practices  to  serve  at  a  small  fee  and 
to  undergo  the  hardships  of  a  country  doctor,  all  in  the 
service  of  the  Commonwealth  and  its  people. 

In  the  same  way,  with  a  splendid  spirit  of  self-sacrifice, 
Dr.  Brooks  suspended  all  other  work,  and  at  great  personal 
loss  and  inconvenience  devoted  his  entire  time  to  the  estab- 
lishment and  supervision  of  the  emergency  hospitals. 

Likewise  the  medical  officers  connected  with  the  State 
Guard  gave  their  services  cheerfully,  working  day  and 
night,  also  to  the  great  detriment  of  their  personal  affairs. 
In  addition,  many  physicians  throughout  Massachusetts, 
residing  in  communities  which  the  epidemic  had  not  yet 
reached,  volunteered  in  the  same  patriotic  spirit  for  service 
in  afflicted  sections. 

At  first,  doctors  offering  their  services  were  assigned  by 

236 


Dr.  B.  W.  Carey  of  the  State  Department  of  Health  to  the 
places  where  they  were  most  needed,  but  on  Friday,  Sep- 
tember 27,  Dr.  W.  N.  Bryan  of  the  United  States  Medical 
Corps,  attached  to  the  Naval  Department  of  the  Northeast, 
was  lent  by  that  department  to  assist  in  fighting  the  epidemic, 
and  the  task  of  assigning  doctors  was  given  over  to  him. 
This  work  required  careful  and  comparative  study  of  the 
needs  of  each  community,  as  well  as  of  the  qualifications  of 
the  different  doctors  offering  their  services.  These  physi- 
cians were  put  on  the  State  pay  roll  at  $10  a  day  and  ex- 
penses, the  latter  not  to  exceed  $4  a  day. 

On  Monday,  September  30,  Dr.  Draper  of  the  United 
^''States  Medical  Service,  was  sent  to  Boston  by  Surgeon- 
General  Blue  with  six  assistants  to  take  up  the  work  on 
behalf  of  the  United  States.  From  this  time,  all  doctors 
coming  from  outside  the  State  were  assigned  by  Dr.  Draper 
and  put  on  the  United  States  pay  roll.  Each  one  of  his 
assistants  was  delegated  to  a  particular  district  to  help  the 
local  authorities  in  organizing.  Dr.  Draper  and  Dr.  Bryan 
co-operated  most  closely,  working  in  entire  harmony.  After 
a  week  the  latter  was  able  to  report  that  all  requests  which 
had  come  in  for  the  services  of  doctors  were  filled.  There- 
after the  supply  kept  up  with  the  demand. 

Dr.  Bryan  then  made  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State  and  visited  various  sections  which  had 
appealed  for  aid,  in  order  to  find  out  whether  the  needed 
help  had  been  given,  whether  the  fight  was  going  on  success- 
fully, and  whether  assistance  was  still  necessary. 

During  Dr.  Bryan's  absence,  and  after  his  return  to  the 
navy,  his  duties  were  ably  carried  on  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Carroll 
of  the  same  service.  In  all,  169  doctors  were  assigned,  of 
whom  113  came  from  outside  the  State.  Seventy-six  fourth- 
year  medical  students  were  also  assigned. 

Nurses.  —  As  early  as  September  25  six  nurses  were  sent 
out  by  Dr.  Kelley  to  investigate  the  nursing  situation,  and 
to  give  assistance  wherever  the  influenza  epidemic  was  most 
severe. 

237 


On  September  26  the  Emergency  Nursing  Committee 
held  an  important  meeting,  at  which  a  program  for  home 
nursing  was  adopted. 

Most  urgent  appeals  for  nurses  were  issued  through  the 
press  and  through  the  Red  Cross,  which  were  responded  to 
by  nurses  from  Providence,  Halifax,  Toronto,  Ohio,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Maine  and  elsewhere. 

The  constant  application  to  the  Committee  for  nurses  in 
behalf  of  patients  who  were  in  extreme  suffering  and  danger 
for  want  of  proper  care  was  a  heartrending  feature  of  the 
situation.  Miss  Bernice  Billings,  detailed  by  the  State 
Department  of  Health,  attended  to  the  enrollment,  and  an 
effort  was  made  to  assign  nurses  on  the  basis  of  1  to  15 
patients.  But  even  at  this  low  scale,  during  a  period  of 
three  weeks  several  hundred  more  nurses  were  needed  than 
could  be  supplied.  Miss  Billings  was  assisted  from  the 
beginning  by  Miss  Churchill  of  the  State  Department  of 
Health,  and  after  September  28  Miss  Ross  of  the  Red  Cross 
was  also  on  duty,  relieving  Miss  Billings,  who  had  tempo- 
rarily sacrificed  her  health  by  her  unremitting  and  faithful 
work.  For  the  first  two  or  three  days  Miss  Billings  was  at 
the  telephone  from  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  11  at 
night.  The  Department  was  open  from  early  in  the  morn- 
ing until  late  at  night,  including  Saturdays  and  Sundays, 
and  from  the  time  the  epidemic  became  serious  until  it 
began  to  abate. 

Nurses  chosen  by  Miss  Billings  to  work  in  Boston  were  at 
first  sent  to  the  Instructive  District  Nursing  Association  to 
be  assigned  to  duty,  but  later  to  the  city  health  officer. 
Nurses  assigned  to  other  cities  were  instructed  to  report  at 
once  on  their  arrival  to  the  local  board  of  health  or  to  the 
agencies  it  designated.  All  nurses  were  put  on  the  State 
pay  roll  at  the  rate  of  $4  per  day  and  expenses,  and  nurse's 
helpers  at  rates  varying  from  $10  to  $15  per  week  and  ex- 
penses. The  total  number  of  the  nursing  force  assigned 
was  1,003,  of  whom  344  were  graduate  nurses  and  659 
untrained  lay  women.    There  were  also  a  limited  number  of 

238 


attendants.  Eight  hundred  and  sixty  nurses  were  put  on 
the  State  pay  roll,  and  143  gave  their  services  as  volunteers. 

Lay  Help  to  Nurses.  -  Dr.  Bryan,  foreseeing  the  great 
shortage  of  nurses,  requested  Mrs.  Thayer  and  Mrs.  Mead 
to  secure  the  assistance  of  persons,  whether  trained  or  un- 
trained, willing  to  work  among  the  sick.  An  appeal  was 
also  made  through  the  public  press  and  through  the  heads 
of  organizations  to  send  volunteer  assistance. 

The  services  of  the  Catholic  and  other  sisterhoods,  and 
of  the  Federated  Jewish  Charities,  were  also  generously 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  doctors,  and  His  Eminence, 
Cardinal  O'Connell,  by  special  dispensation,  authorized  in 
6ertain  exigencies  the  employment  of  cloistered  nuns.  The 
Household  Nursing  Association  offered  its  trained  assistants 
and  supervisors,  and  also  its  undergraduate  assistants,  and 
most  of  the  hospitals  furnished  undergraduate  nurses. 

In  response  to  a  letter  from  Mr.  Endicott,  a  number  of 
the  stores,  such  as  E.  T.  Slattery  &  Co.,  Win.  Filene's  Sons 
Company  and  Houghton  &  Dutton  Company,  volunteered 
the  personnel  of  their  First-aid  Units,  and  through  the 
courtesy  of  the  Milo  Thread  Company  a  group  of  lay  helpers 
came  from  Maine  to  help  the  sufferers  in  Massachusetts. 

A  department  for  registration  was  established  at  head- 
quarters by  the  Volunteer  Service  Bureau  of  the  American 
Red  Cross  and  by  the  Special  Aid  Society  for  American 
Preparedness,  in  charge  of  Miss  Priscilla  Whiton.  Nine 
hundred  and  seventy-one  people  were  examined  by  this 
department,  659  volunteers  being  secured,  who  were  then 
passed  on  to  Miss  Billings  for  appointment.  All  those  de- 
siring to  serve  in  the  city  were  sent  to  the  Boston  District 
Nursing  Association. 

The  assistance  of  this  group  can  only  be  fully  appreciated 
when  it  is  realized  that  thev  formed  two-thirds  of  the  total 
nursing  service  in  the  State.  No  effort  was  made  to  divert 
assistants  from  one  city  to  another,  it  being  argued  that 
workers  would  be  more  useful  in  the  localities  where  they 
lived.     Any  woman  who  felt  herself  in  any  respect  capable 

239 


of  assisting  in  the  care  of  the  sick  was  urged  to  offer  her 
services  to  her  local  board  of  health. 

Miss  Amy  Woods,  of  the  League  of  Preventive  Work,  was 
sent  to  organize  a  number  of  communities  that  they  might 
provide  their  own  lay  help.  Her  methods  proved  so  effective 
that  the  State  Department  of  Health  sent  a  statement  of 
her  plan  of  procedure  throughout  the  Commonwealth  and 
to  the  Department  of  Health  in  every  State  in  the  Union. 

Emergency  Hospitals.  —  Reports  gathered  from  many 
cities  and  towns  showed  a  lack  of  hospital  facilities,  but  Dr. 
Brooks's  very  successful  experience  with  his  emergency 
hospital  on  Corey  Hill  pointed  the  way  to  meet  this 
need. 

The  emergency  hospitals  so  constituted  were  put  in  charge 
of  the  military  authorities,  as  in  no  other  way  could  discipline 
be  promptly  established  and  quarantine  efficiently  main- 
tained. The  Surgeon-General  and  Quartermaster-General, 
in  co-operation  with  the  local  authorities  and  the  district 
health  officers,  chose  the  sites.  The  Adjutant-General  pro- 
vided tents,  field  ranges,  cooking  utensils,  and  such  equip- 
ment as  the  State  was  able  to  furnish,  and  called  out  appro- 
priate details  of  the  State  Guard.  Other  necessities  were 
furnished  by  the  Supply  Department  of  the  Emergency 
Health  Committee.  The  Surgeon-General,  with  the  co- 
operation of  the  district  health  officers  and  of  the  Enroll- 
ment Bureau  of  the  Emergency  Health  Committee,  secured 
the  medical,  nursing  and  service  personnel. 

To  accomplish  these  results  promptly  the  assistance,  au- 
thority and  backing  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  were 
given  in  the  fullest  measure,  and  through  its  efforts  in  some 
instances  shacks  for  emergency  hospitals  were  erected  in 
less  than  forty-eight  hours,  — ■  between  Saturday  noon  and 
Monday  morning.  In  several  cases  segregated  wards  for 
influenza  patients  were  established  in  existing  hospitals, 
such  assistance  being  given  in  twenty-six  cities  and  towns 
throughout  the  State.  About  October  8  a  letter  giving  full 
instructions  for  establishing  temporary  emergency  hospitals 

240 


was  issued  by  the  Health  Commissioner  to  the  local  boards 
of  health. 

Investigation  of  Vaccines.  —  In  view  of  the  favorable  re- 
ports made  by  different  physicians  as  to  the  results  of  using 
vaccine,  Dr.  Kelley  appointed  a  Committee  to  investigate 
the  subject.  Dr.  T.  W.  McCoy  of  the  Hygienic  Laboratory, 
United  States  Public  Health  Service,  Dr.  M.  J.  Rosenau,  of 
Harvard  University,  director  of  the  State  Laboratory,  and 
Maj.  Frederick  Gay  of  the  United  States  Army  composed 
the  scientific  members  of  the  Committee,  while  Prof.  G.  C. 
"Whipple  of  Harvard  University,  Mrs.  William  Davis  of  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Census,  and  Mr.  F.  W.  Crum  of 
the  Prudential  Life  Insurance  Company  were  the  statistical 
members. 

Without,  however,  awaiting  the  report  of  this  Committee, 
Dr.  Kelley  purchased  for  Dr.  Leary  material  on  which  to 
grow  the  vaccine,  loaned  assistants  from  the  State  Labora- 
tory, and  detailed  for  the  work  Dr.  Hinton  in  charge  of  the 
State  WTassermann  Laboratory.  He  also  requested  Dr. 
Bryan  and  Dr.  Hinton  to  co-operate  with  Dr.  Leary  in  the 
distribution  of  the  vaccine.  Dr.  Kelley  also  prepared  a 
letter,  addressed  to  every  city  and  town  board  of  health  in 
Massachusetts,  stating  that  the  State  stood  ready  to  furnish 
vaccine.  All  bottles  of  vaccine  had  printed  instructions 
wrapped  around  them,  a  franked  postal  card  for  every  one 
immunized  was  issued  by  the  Board  of  Health,  and  the 
local  board  wTas  at  the  same  time  requested  to  see  that  the 
person  vaccinated  filled  out  and  returned  the  card  to  the 
United  States  Public  Health  Service  office  at  the  State 
House  within  two  weeks  after  the  receipt  of  the  last  dose  of 
vaccine.  Thus  a  positive  demonstration  was  made  as  to 
the  value  of  the  procedure. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  of  Experts,  showing  the 
results  obtained  by  using  the  vaccines,  was  so  favorable  that 
the  work  of  making  and  distributing  the  same  was  continued 
at  the  expense  of  the  State  so  long  as  the  need  lasted. 

Convalescents.  —  Very  soon  after  the  organization  of  the 

241 


Committee,  His  Eminence  Cardinal  O'Connell  offered  the 
large  and  spacious  buildings  of  St.  John's  Ecclesiastical 
Seminary,  situated  on  hills  overlooking  the  Chestnut  Hill 
Reservoir  and  surrounded  by  beautiful  grounds,  for  any 
use  to  which  they  might  be  adapted.  This  timely  offer  was 
at  once  taken  up  by  the  Committee,  the  seminary  being 
peculiarly  well  suited  to  receive  and  take  care  of  convalescent 
patients  from  Boston  and  the  neighboring  towns.  This 
relieved  the  congestion  at  the  hospitals,  and  thereby  the 
wearing  strain  on  the  nurses.  Dr.  William  H.  Devine  under- 
took the  task  of  superintendent,  and  also  of  securing  doctors, 
attendants  and  service.  This  opportunity  was  utilized  from 
October  6  to  October  26,  and  was  productive  of  splendid 
results.  Important  clinical  observations,  and  full  details  as 
to  patients  and  personnel,  were  given  in  a  report  made  by 
Dr.  Devine.  Ninety-two  patients,  ranging  from  ten  to 
sixty  years  of  age,  were  admitted  to  the  seminary,  —  the 
average  stay  being  about  seven  days,  —  and  were  sent  by 
the  following  institutions :  — 


Boston  City  Hospital,  . 

Massachusetts  General  Hospital, 

Arlington  Emergency  Hospital, 

Homoeopathic  Hospital, 

Carney  Hospital,   . 

Peter  Bent  Brigham  Hospital, 

Beth  Israel  Hospital,     . 

Jewish  Home, 

Merrill  School,  Cambridge, 

Brookline  Hospital, 

Town  of  Norwood, 

Cambridge  Emergency  Hospital, 

Other  sources,         .... 


9 

30 

2 

2 

1 

7 

1 

1 

15 

1 

1 

5 

17 


An  offer  was  also  made  by  the  Episcopal  City  Mission  of 
the  Mothers'  Rest  at  Revere  as  a  convalescent  home  for 
women  and  children.  This  retreat,  commonly  closed  at 
that  time  of  year,  was  immediately  opened  and  put  in  charge 
of  Dr.  Jane  D.  K.  Sabine,  with  Dr.  Edith  H.  Swift  and 
Dr.  Cordelia  I.   Williamson  as  assistants.     Mrs.   Georgina 


242 


Withington  offered  her  services  to  take  care  of  the  house- 
hold and  the  well-being  of  its  inmates.  Sixty-five  patients 
were  eared  for,  and  the  work  carried  on  for  one  month  with 
the  greatesl  success.  Miss  Mary  P.  Winsor  took  full  charge 
of  the  business  administration  of  this  home,  purchasing 
supplies,  transporting  patients  in  her  own  car,  auditing  all 
the  expenses,  and  working  day  and  night  in  its  interest. 

Children.  —  The  influenza  brought  about  a  great  deal  of 
suffering  among  children,  both  from  the  disease  itself,  and 
also,  in  many  instances,  through  the  death  of  their  parents 
or  others  responsible  for  their  care. 

As  a  rule,  these  otherwise  helpless  cases  were  taken  care 
of  locally;  but  in  Boston  the  pressure  was  so  great  that  the 
Society  for  the  Prevention  of "  Cruelty  to  Children,  the 
Children's  Aid  Society  and  the  Church  Home  united  in 
organizing  a  home  for  the  care  of  children  who  had  been 
exposed  to  but  were  not  taken  down  with  influenza.  The 
Emmanuel  House,  11  Newcomb  Street,  Roxbury,  was  lent 
by  Emmanuel  Church  for  this  purpose.  Miss  K.  P.  Hewins 
of  the  Church  Home  Society,  under  the  supervision  of  a 
committee  representing  all  the  societies  above  mentioned, 
took  charge  of  the  house.  These  societies  paid  all  the  ex- 
penses of  the  enterprise  excepting  a  certain  amount  of 
household  utensils,  beds  and  other  appliances,  which  were 
furnished  by  the  Emergency  Health  Committee.  Accommo- 
dations were  sufficient  to  take  care  of  about  thirty-five 
children  at  one  time,  and  the  home  met  one  of  the  great 
needs  of  the  situation. 

The  Catholic  Charitable  Bureau  also  opened  a  shelter 
at  Orient  Heights,  with  accommodations  for  about  forty 
children. 

Burials.  —  The  number  of  deaths  was  so  large  in  the 
vicinity  of  Boston  and  at  the  camps  that  a  serious  difficulty 
presented  itself  in  obtaining  coffins.  To  meet  so  imperative 
a  necessity  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  that  the  output 
might  be  increased,  induced  a  large  cabinet  maker  to  lend 
fifteen  of  his  employees  to  the  New  England  Casket  Com- 

243 


pany.  Dr.  Woodward,  moreover,  reported  that  the  city  of 
Boston  was  under  obligation  to  furnish  laborers  to  certain 
cemeteries  so  that  interments  could  take  place  promptly. 

Emergency  Canteens.  —  Good,  wholesome  food,  hot,  appe- 
tizing and  served  frequently,  was  early  shown  to  be  one  of 
the  most  important  requisites  of  treatment. 

Accordingly,  on  Sunday,  September  29,  the  plan  of  the 
Emergency  Canteen  was  initiated  in  co-operation  with  the 
District  Nursing  Association  and  the  Boston  City  Food 
Conservation  Committee.  The  scheme  was  twofold:  (a)  to 
supply  food,  under  the  direction  of  the  nurses  and  doctors, 
to  the  patient  and  to  the  healthy  members  of  his  family 
where  the  latter  were  unable  to  cope  with  the  situation; 
(b)  to  fe#d  the  nurses  and  doctors. 

Originally,  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
agreed  to  pay  all  expenses,  but  the  Boston  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  assisted  by  taking  over  all  canteens  operating 
inside  the  city  limits.  Three  canteens  were  in  operation  on 
Monday,  September  30,  and  fifteen  by  Thursday,  October  3. 
Many  existing  kitchens  were  taken,  including  those  in 
churches,  high  schools,  cooking  schools  and  settlement 
houses,  the  last  two  mentioned  providing  effective  and  com- 
plete centers  for  food  distribution.  Through  the  generosity 
of  the  many  Pood  Conservation  organizations  and  of  volun- 
teer helpers,  dietitians  were  obtained  who  did  the  cooking. 
In  most  of  the  districts  the  City  Food  Conservation  Com- 
mittee was  called  upon  to  provide  untrained  volunteers  who 
could  help  in  the  preparation  of  food  and  its  distribution. 
This  last  was  effected  by  volunteer  motor  service.  In  the 
districts  where  such  motors  could  not  be  obtained,  the  Red 
Cross  and  the  State  Guard  were  called  upon  to  help.  Con- 
tributions of  glass,  tin  containers  and  also  vegetables  were 
asked  for.  By  this  method,  and  because  of  the  extraordinary 
and  ready  response  to  all  calls  for  help,  the  only  liabilities 
incurred  were  for  fuel,  carton  containers  and  the  actual 
food  purchased. 

Attention  might  here  be  directed  to  how  great  a  degree 

244 


the  influenza  emergency  demonstrated  the  value  of  decentral- 
ization to  promote  efficiency;  and  that  each  center  should, 
if  possible,  be  a  complete  entity  in  itself,  relying  upon  a 
Central  Committee  for  help  only  where  its  own  organiza- 
tion broke  down. 

This  general  plan  for  canteen  work  was  advertised  through 
the  State  on  Monday,  September  30,  by  telegrams  and 
letters  asking  the  Women's  Council  of  National  Defense, 
local  officials  and  Committees  on  Public  Safety  to  start  the 
canteens  wherever  the  necessity  arose,  after  consulting  with 
the  local  boards  of  health  and  other  existing  activities  which 
might  aid  in  such  work. 

Supplies.  —  Supplies  were  bought  and  furnished,  partly 
by  the  Emergency  Health  Committee,  and  partly  through 
the  Adjutant-General's  office. 

The  Committee  purchased  and  distributed  in  considerable 
quantities  masks,  paper  napkins,  paper  bags,  paper  plates, 
spoons,  veils,  aprons  and  such  other  appliances  as  were 
recommended  by  the  doctors,  —  all  tending  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  the  disease  from  the  patient  to  the  nurses,  or  to 
other  people  in  the  State.  Printed  instructions  for  the  use 
of  these  articles  were  distributed  with  them,  as  well  as 
circulars  giving  information  as  to  the  detection  and  treat- 
ment of  the  disease  and  how  to  avoid  it.  Many  valuable 
suggestions  were  made  to  the  numerous  applicants  for 
advice  by  attendants  who  had  been  carefully  coached  by 
the  trained  nurses. 

The  Committee  also  purchased  and  distributed  to  hospitals 
and  local  Committees  on  Public  Safety,  or  boards  of  health, 
supplies  —  such  as  bedding,  blankets,  sheets,  etc.  —  needed 
to  outfit  the  emergency  hospitals  or  emergency  wards.  It 
also  furnished  to  the  boards  of  health  a  certain  amount  of 
similar  articles  when  needed  for  the  proper  care  of  patients 
in  their  own  homes;  but  this  latter  distribution  was  very 
carefully  restricted,  as  it  was  felt  that  such  cases,  as  a  rule, 
should  be  taken  care  of  through  the  regularly  established 
charitable  agencies. 

245 


Mr.  Matthew  Luce  and  Miss  E.  G.  Dewey  attended  to 
the  purchasing  of  supplies,  and  were  assisted  by  Mr.  E.  G. 
Preston  and  Mr.  J.  A.  Malone.  Mr.  Luce  also  superintended 
the  distribution,  whether  made  directly  from  the  stores  or 
from  the  State  House.  A  careful  record  was  kept  of  all 
supplies  given  out,  either  in  quantity  or  small  lots. 

Paper  stock  furnishings  were  given  free  to  1,363  persons, 
who  came  or  sent  for  them,  in  large  or  small  quantities,  as 
follows :  — 


Plates,    . 

Spoons, 

Cups, 

Napkins, 

Bags,      . 

Paper  towels  with  rollers  (cases), 

Aprons, 

Quart  containers. 

Pneumonia  jackets, 


135,000 

100,000 

120,000 

100,000 

50,000 

7 

1,000 

1,900 

400 


In  addition,  many  thousand  masks  were  provided. 

As  illustrating  the  educational  work  accomplished  outside 
the  Commonwealth,  samples  of  paper  supplies  and  masks 
were  forwarded  to  many  parts  of  the  country,  —  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  Alabama,  Minnesota,  California,  New  Hamp- 
shire, Maine  and  South  Dakota. 

Through  the  untiring  efforts  of  Mr.  Malone  and  Mr. 
Preston,  the  purchasing  agents,  the  Committee  was  able  to 
provide  everything  needed  for  a  hospital  of  seventy-five  or 
one  hundred  beds  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours. 

For  the  Emergency  Hospital  at  Taunton  the  following 
supplies  were  obtained :  — 


Beds, 

Springs,   . 
Mattresses, 
Pillows,    . 
Pillowcases, 
Paper  plates, 
Paper  cups, 


100 
100 
100 
105 
260 
6,000 
6,000 


246 


Paper  spoons, 

Sheets,     . 

Double  blankets, 

Towels,    . 

Bedpans, 

Urinals,    . 

Paper  napkins, 

Paper  bags,     . 

Paper  towels  and  the  rollers, 

Masks, 


6,000 

.5.30 

120 

250 

32 

6 

10,000 

1,000 

500 

1 ,000 


For  emergency  hospitals,  regular  hospitals  or  for  home 
distribution  in  Amesbury,  Arlington,  Auburndale,  Boston, 
iDBridgewater,  Brighton,  Brockton,  Cambridge,  Dorchester, 
Fairhaven,  Fall  River,  Gloucester,  Haverhill,  Hudson, 
Ipswich,  Lawrence,  Lowell,  Mansfield,  Nantucket,  Peabody, 
Plymouth,  Revere,  Salem,  Somerville,  Springfield,  Stough- 
ton,  Taunton,  Tyngsborough,  Waltham,  Whitman,  Win- 
throp  and  Woburn  the  following  articles  were  supplied:  — 


Beds, 

Cribs, 

Springs,     . 

Mattresses, 

Pillows, 

Pillowcases, 

Sheets, 

Blankets  (wool), 

Blankets  (paper),     . 

Night  robes, 

Doctors'  coats, 

R  ubber  coats,  . 

Rubber  hats,     . 

Rubber  boots  (pairs), 

Alcohol  (gallons),     . 

Bedpans,   . 

Enamel  washbasins, 

Enamel  pans,    . 

Pus  basins, 

Towels, 

Rubber  sheeting  (rolls; 


12  yards  in  one  roll), 


335 

22 

245 

287 

411 

3,020 

4,408 

2,560 

120 

854 

12 

12 

12 

12 

30 

181 

42 

30 

45 

2,512 

23 


247 


Mosquito  netting  (pieces),     : 
Needles  (papers),     .... 

5 

8 

Notebooks, 

12 

Playing  cards  (packs),    . 
Checkerboards,        .... 

2 
2 

Combs, 

72 

Common  pins  (papers), 

Thread  (spools),       .... 

12 
18 

Toothbrushes,            .... 

48 

Bed  slippers  (pairs), 
Chloride  of  lime  (can),    . 

12 
1 

Crockery  pitchers,  .... 

8 

Envelopes, 

250 

Face  cloths, 

120 

Iodine  Lime  Tablets  (bottle), 
Padding  (vards),      .... 

1 

12 

Temperature  charts, 

Temperature  charts,  holders  and  the  paper  utensils  and  mas] 
Clinical  thermometers, 

cs, 

1,150 
74 
53 

Wooden  tongue  depressors  furnished  from  the  supply  room,  . 
Treatment  charts, 

1,000 
200 

Urinals, 

56 

Flannelette  (yards),        .... 
Hot-water  bags, 

100 
57 

Hypodermics  with  needles,    . 

25 

Ice  caps, 

45 

Dr.  Brooks,  in  behalf  of  the  United  States  Shipping  Board, 
called  upon  the  Adjutant-General's  office  to  authorize  and 
assist  in  establishing  the  emergency  field  hospital  on  Corey 
Hill,  Brookline,  for  those  of  the  enlisted  personnel  of  the 
United  States  Shipping  Board  who  were  stricken  with  the 
epidemic.  Similar  hospitals  were  established  in  Gloucester, 
Ipswich,  Lawrence,  Brockton,  Waltham  and  Haverhill;  and 
supplies  such  as  cots,  blankets,  etc.,  were  furnished  both  to 
them  and  to  the  local  boards  of  health  at  Fall  River,  Fair- 
haven,  Arlington,  Fitchburg,  Fayville,  Barre,  Springfield 
and  other  places. 

The  supplies  on  hand  at  the  State  Arsenal  not  being  ade- 
quate for  the  emergency,  1,034  cots,  3,696  blankets,  28 
pyramidal  tents  and  170  wall  tents  were  procured  through 


248 


the  Chief  Quartermaster's  Department  out  of  the  funds  of 
the  Emergency  Health  Committee.  The  Adjutant-General's 
Department  was  able  to  secure  the  use  of  over  400  tents, 
and  of  many  cots,  from  various  organizations,  including  the 
Northfield  Summer  Conferences,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  various 
towns,  the  Agricultural  College,  county  lairs,  high  school 
boys'  agricultural  camps,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Dow,  and  also 
from  many  individual  and  other  sources. 

Transportation.  —  The  Transportation  Department  was 
under  the  management  of  Mrs.  Livingston  Cushing,  assisted 
by  Miss  Mary  T.  Sawyer,  Mr.  A.  K.  Sweet,  Mr.  F.  A. 
Turner,  and  Mr.  R.  A.  Powers.  It  arranged  for  meeting 
n,urses  on  their  arrival  in  Boston;  furnished  information  as 
to  the  departure  of  trains;  provided  motor  service  to  take 
doctors  and  nurses  to  the  station,  and,  when  necessary, 
directly  to  the  towns  to  which  they  were  assigned.  It  also 
notified  officials  of  the  local  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  or 
of  the  board  of  health,  to  meet  them  on  arrival.  It  delivered 
supplies  from  the  Supply  Department,  and  planned  for 
ambulance  service  on  request.  As  the  uniform  worn  by  its 
agents  made  them  easily  distinguishable,  arrangements  were 
made  with  the  Canteen  Department  of  the  Red  Cross  to 
meet  nurses  coming  from  a  distance.  This  work  necessitated 
much  detail  in  locating  trains,  but  was  done  with  remarkable 
despatch  and  success. 

When  headquarters  were  first  opened  at  the  State  House, 
the  Committee  was  almost  wholly  dependent  on  the  assist- 
ance of  the  First  Motor  Corps  of  the  State  Guard.  This 
body  rendered  efficient  and  most  willing  service,  the  Com- 
mittee always  having  the  privilege  of  calling  upon  its  mem- 
bers. As  the  corps  had  many  calls  to  which  it  must  give 
first  attention,  especially  the  very  important  work  of  the 
Instructive  District  Nursing  Association,  a  volunteer  service 
of  private  cars  was  enlisted.  This  was  secured  in  great  part 
by  personal  appeal,  and  the  co-operation  and  interest  of 
those  who  volunteered  proved  invaluable.  Two  hundred 
and  sixty-three  calls  for  motor  service  were  answered  within 

249 


the  first  ten  days.  The  greatest  number  of  calls  filled  in 
any  one  day  was  46;    the  lowest,  11. 

The  First  Motor  Corps  furnished  automobiles,  with 
chauffeurs,  to  transport  doctors  and  nurses  from  patient  to 
patient  in  the  city  of  Boston,  and  in  addition  turned  over 
its  complete  ambulance  outfit  to  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  State  Guard.  Its  four  auto  trucks  were  also  in  constant 
use  transporting  supplies  under  the  direction  of  the  Chief 
Quartermaster.  The  twenty -six  ambulances,  belonging  to 
the  First  Ambulance  Corps  and  the  Commonwealth  Military 
Emergency  Hospital,  were  always  in  use.  Two  of  these 
were  loaned  to  the  Northeastern  Department;  two  to  the 
First  Naval  District;  two  to  the  Fore  River  Shipbuilding 
Company;  two  to  the  city  of  New  Bedford.  The  remainder 
were  employed  in  the  city  proper  and  at  the  different  emer- 
gency field  hospitals. 

Reports  of  Public  Safety  Committees,  Hospitals,  etc.  — 
Inasmuch  as  the  influenza  was  not  at  the  time  it  broke  out 
a  disease  which  the  doctors  were  required  by  law  to  report, 
the  figures  sent  in  by  the  local  boards  of  health  were  at 
first  incomplete. 

Accordingly,  telegrams  were  sent  to  the  chairman  of  each 
local  Committee  on  Public  Safety  throughout  the  State, 
requesting  information  as  to  the  number  of  cases  of  influenza 
and  the  number  of  available  doctors  and  nurses  in  his  par- 
ticular town  or  city,  with  a  further  request  that  a  detailed 
report  of  its  most  pressing  needs  be  also  forwarded.  More- 
over, in  order  that  the  course  of  the  epidemic  might  be 
properly  watched,  the  recipients  of  the  messages  were  in- 
structed to  immediately  wire  in  reply.  Mrs.  Thayer,  in 
behalf  of  the  Woman's  Committee  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense,  sent  similar  telegrams  to  each  of  her  chairmen. 
In  addition,  and  to  check  up  these  figures,  telegrams  were 
sent  to  the  presidents  of  the  District  Nursing  Association  in 
fifty  cities  and  towns,  requesting  the  same  information 
asked  of  the  sub-committees  on  Public  Safety. 

The  messages  received  in  response  were  handled  by  Mr. 

250 


W.  R.  Peabody  and  his  assistants,  Miss  Esther  Nicker- 
son  and  Miss  M.  S.  Conrad,  who  immediately  turned  over 
the  reports  and  requests  to  Dr.  Bryan  and  Miss  Billings, 
whereby  the  latter  were  enabled  to  allot  doctors  and  nurses 
to  Dr.  Carey,  and  also  to  watch  more  understanding  the 
prevalence  and  spread  of  the  disease. 

On  September  30  a  circular  letter  was  mailed  to  every 
chairman  of  a  local  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  asking  his 
co-operation  in  the  reception  and  care  of  visiting  doctors 
and  nurses.  Still  further,  telegrams  were  sent  to  many  of 
the  hospitals  throughout  the  State  asking  for  the  number  of 
beds  they  were  able  to  furnish,  and  what  assistance,  if  any, 
'thev  needed. 

A.  .  l 

The  answers  to  all  the  telegrams  sent  by  the  Committee 
were  received  and  tabulated,  and  proved  of  great  value  in 
many  ways. 

Protection  and  Quarantine.  —  Several  details  from  the 
State  Guard  were  furnished  by  the  Adjutant-General  to  pro- 
tect emergency  hospitals,  and  also  for  service  at  New  Bed- 
ford, Cambridge,  Maiden,  Norwood  and  Southborough,  in 
which  places  the  local  authorities  supplied  their  own  hos- 
pital facilities.  These  guards  were  indispensable  in  main- 
taining the  requisite  quarantine  necessary  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  the  disease.  In  addition,  a  guard  was  provided  in 
Boston  for  the  contractor  who  was  building  the  Emergency 
Hospital  buildings. 

Closing  of  Theatres,  etc.  —  At  a  meeting  of  the  Committee 
on  September  30  it  was  voted  to  recommend  the  closing  of 
theatres,  moving-picture  shows  and  soda  water  fountains, 
and,  in  general,  that  all  gatherings  which  might  in  any  way 
assist  in  spreading  the  disease  be  discontinued. 

Wide  publicity  was  given  to  these  recommendations,  and 
in  consequence  the  Liberty  Loan  Committee  at  once  gave  up 
all  rallies  which  it  had  planned  throughout  the  State.  Fol- 
lowing this  example,  almost  every  meeting  contemplated  by 
societies  or  organizations  of  any  kind  was  immediately  and 
voluntarily  abandoned.     Manv  churches  discontinued  hold- 

251 


ing  divine  service.  In  most  cities  and  towns,  all  schools, 
theatres  and  moving-picture  shows  were  closed,  as  were  soda 
water  fountains  and  public  bars. 

This  widespread  and  rigorous  action  greatly  mitigated  the 
force  of  the  disease,  delayed  its  progress,  and  helped  to 
bring  it  under  control. 

On  September  26  Mr.  Endicott  made  public  the  following 
statement:  — 

I  have  been  asked  to  explain  more  comprehensively  than  was  possible 
in  the  brief  notice  already  published  in  the  papers,  the  attitude  of  the 
Public  Safety  Committee  in  regard  to  holding  public  meetings  during  the 
influenza  epidemic. 

It  is  the  general  opinion  of  the  physicians  that  influenza  germs  are 
transmitted  directly,  not  only  by  the  sick  but  by  those  who  are  infected 
although  not  yet  ill,  to  persons  in  close  proximity  to  them;  therefore  the 
danger  of  infection  is  always  present  when  people  are  gathered  together. 
Accordingly,  no  unnecessary  gatherings  should  be  held  at  present  in 
Massachusetts. 

Unnecessary  gatherings  include  schools,  theatres,  moving-picture  shows, 
churches,  wherever  possible,  and  all  outdoor  meetings  and  parades.  Un- 
necessary meeting  places,  therefore,  should  be  closed  at  once  and  remain 
closed  until  the  authorities  tell  us  the  danger  is  over.  The  observance  of 
ordinary  health  precautions  is  part  of  the  duty  owed  by  every  citizen,  not 
only  to  himself  but  to  his  neighbors,  and  no  one  should  feel  at  this  time 
that  he  is  a  moral  coward  because  he  takes  care  of  himself,  if  he  realizes 
that  his  own  health  may  mean  the  life  or  health  of  those  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact. 

One  of  the  things  we  should  all  strive  to  do  during  this  epidemic  is  to 
get  into  the  sunshine  as  much  as  possible,  and,  above  all,  we  should  get 
plenty  of  fresh  air.  In  other  words,  it  is  our  duty  to  keep  well  or  to  get 
well  as  soon  as  possible,  in  order  that  our  part  in  the  war  may  not  be 
interrupted. 

There  are  undoubtedly  towns  and  cities  in  the  Commonwealth  from 
which  the  influenza  has  not  been  reported,  but  of  course  we  must  face  the 
fact  that  the  chances  are  very  much  in  favor  of  the  spread  of  the  disease. 
I  urge  such  communities  to  assume  their  part  of  the  common  responsibility, 
and  to  act  as  if  they  were  already  in  the  midst  of  this  epidemic. 

The  doctors  and  nurses  of  Massachusetts  who  are  devoting  themselves 
to  the  care  of  the  sick  in  this  emergency  are  all  heroes  and  heroines,  and 
many  of  them  have  paid  the  penalty.  Not  one  of  them,  as  far  as  I  am 
aware,  has  shirked  in  any  way;   they  have  overworked;   they  are  without 

252 


sleep  —  yet  still  they  go  on.    Massachusetts  can  never  repay  its  debt  to 

this  noble  hand  of  men  and  women.  We  are  using  every  effort,  both 
through  the  government  and  outside  the  State,  to  get  additional  help  for 
these  people.  In  this  connection  the  Red  Cross  is  doing  splendid  work 
and  using  every  effort  to  increase  the  number  of  nurses  within  our  borders. 

When  I  speak  of  carrying  on  the  \\ar,  the  action  of  the  Liberty  Loan 
Committee  points  out  to  us  all  the  way  our  duty  lies.  The  Liberty  Loan 
Committee  realizes  the  seriousness  of  the  situation;  they  had  laid  out 
their  entire  plans  for  the  coming  campaign  for  months,  and  all  these  plans 
they  have  changed  to  save  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  believing  that  by 
so  doing  they  are  contributing  to  the  success  of  the  war.  They  have  sac- 
rificed more  in  making  this  change  than  any  other  organization,  public  or 
private,  possibly  can. 

The  cancellation  of  all  Liberty  Loan  meetings  places  upon  the  people 
^tof  Massachusetts  a  responsibility  for  individual  effort  greater  than  that 
which  the  citizens  of  any  other  State  are  called  upon  to  bear.  It  is  com- 
paratively easy  to  subscribe  generously  when  the  emotions  are  stirred  by 
the  appeal  of  a  soldier  fresh  from  overseas,  or  by  the  thrill  of  patriotic- 
music,  or  by  the  sight  of  a  neighbor's  response.  Massachusetts  will  have 
the  benefit  of  none  of  these  rallying  forces  to  arouse  the  generosity  of  her 
subscribers.  The  very  absence  of  parades  and  oratory,  however,  makes 
the  duty  of  each  man  and  woman  clearer  than  ever  before.  Subscriptions 
which  have  heretofore  been  made  in  the  excitement  of  public  gatherings 
must  be  offset  by  the  appeal  to  each  man's  own  conscience.  It  will  never 
be  said  of  Massachusetts  that  she  was  so  immersed  in  her  own  private 
troubles  that  she  for  one  moment  failed  to  heed  the  Nation's  call  to  prac- 
tical service.     Massachusetts  must  and  will  do  her  part. 

Dr.  William  C.  Woodward,  commissioner  of  the  Health 
Department,  city  of  Boston,  in  a  very  interesting  and  able 
report,  says :  — 

Whether  or  not  it  may  be  more  than  a  succession  of  coincidences,  it  is 
certainly  of  interest  to  note  that  the  November  outbreak  of  the  influenza 
showed  itself  three  days  after  the  Peace  Day  celebration  on  November 
12,  when  the  streets,  eating  places  and  public  conveyances  were  jammed 
with  crowds;  and  that  the  December  epidemic  began  to  manifest  itself 
after  the  Thanksgiving  Holiday,  with  its  family  reunions  and  visiting; 
and  that  reported  cases  mounted  rapidly  during  the  periods  of  Christmas 
shopping,  reaching  a  maximum  a  week  after  the  holiday. 

The  secondary  epidemic  of  influenza  thus  occurring  in  Boston  in  De- 
cember found  the  city  in  a  far  different  position  to  cope  with  the  disease 


253 


than  at  the  time  of  its  appearance  in  September,  and  there  was  virtually 
no  difficulty  in  supplying  prompt  and  appropriate  medical  care  and  nurs- 
ing in  individual  cases. 

Location  and  Personnel.  —  Owing  to  the  prevalence  of  the 
epidemic,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  secure  professional 
office  help.  Mr.  Bazeley,  assistant  executive  manager  of 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  was  able  to  detail  four 
stenographers  from  his  staff,  but  no  office  boys  or  other 
assistants  were  available.  Boy  Scouts  and  Girl  Scouts, 
however,  loyally  offered  their  services  as  messengers. 

"While  the  most  important  work  was  carried  on  in  the 
offices  of  the  different  State  departments  and  those  of  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  Room  363  at  the  State  House 
served  as  headquarters  for  eleven  of  the  Committee's  six- 
teen departments.  It  would  have  been  difficult  for  so  many 
groups  to  work  together,  in  so  confined  a  space,  had  they 
not  been  animated  by  the  common  desire  to  procure  doctors 
and  nurses  for  the  sorely  beset  people  of  the  Commonwealth, 
irrespective  of  any  personal  discomfort  to  themselves. 

The  personnel  of  the  Bureau  was  in  the  hands  of  Mrs. 
Mead.  The  staff  consisted  of  about  seventy-six  people,  all 
volunteers,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  secretaries  from  the 
State  departments  and  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety, 
and  three  other  secretaries.  As  the  hours  were  long  (from 
8  a.m.  to  9  or  10  p.m.,  including  Sundays),  the  service  was 
arranged  in  shifts.  Owing  to  the  closing  orders  referred  to, 
Mrs.  Mead  had  the  advantage  of  much  professional  help, 
though  the  Bureau  was  to  a  large  extent  manned  by  mem- 
bers of  the  National  Civic  Federation  and  the  Boston 
Teachers'  Unit.  In  addition  to  this,  Mrs.  Thayer,  Mr. 
Endicott,  Dr.  Kelley,  Dr.  Brooks,  Adjutant-General  Stevens 
and  many  persons  from  their  staffs  gave  practically  their 
whole  time  to  the  cause. 

Finance.  -  -  Mr.  Edmund  W.  Longley,  with  his  customary 
watchfulness  and  ability,  acted  as  treasurer  of  the  Com- 
mittee. The  total  expenditures  will  be  found  in  Mr.  Long- 
ley's  general  report. 

254 


Follow-up  Work  and  Preparation  for  Future  Epidemie. — 
An  advisory  council  was  appointed  to  carry  out  a  plan  for 
future  medical  and  social  service,  whose  efforts  will  be  given 
in  detail  under  "Women's  Activities,"  Part  IV,  chapter  5. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  activities  of  the  Emer- 
gency Health  Committee,  in  its  relation  to  the  influenza 
epidemic,  covered  only  the  first  visitation  of  that  disease 
and  the  six  weeks  following  the  25th  of  September,  the  date 
of  its  appointment.  The  second  outbreak,  early  in  Decem- 
ber, 1918,  did  not  take  place  until  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  had  disbanded. 

During  the  former  period  the  number  of  deaths  due  to 
the  epidemic,  in  Massachusetts  alone,  was  approximately 
11,000.  This  is  exclusive  of  about  one  week  in  the  latter 
part  of  September,  of  which  no  complete  record  exists,  as  it 
was  not  until  the  4th  of  October  that  the  disease  was  made 
reportable  by  law. 

The  far-reaching  assistance  rendered  by  the  Emergency 
Health  Committee  to  the  Commonwealth  during  this  period 
of  prevailing  distress,  when  a  veritable  plague  vitally  im- 
perilled and  sapped  the  strength  of  our  people,  thereby 
directly  menacing  the  efficiency  of  our  armies  at  home  and 
abroad,  was  one  of  the  most  important  of  those  unforeseen 
activities  constantly  springing  up,  and  which  proved  the 
wisdom  of  Governor  McCall's  creation  of  a  Committee  on 
Public  Safetv. 


255 


Part    IV 


WOMEN'S   ACTIVITIES 

Thus  far  this  story  has  dealt  almost  exclusively  with  the 
activities  of  Massachusetts  men. 

It  is  now  time  to  introduce  another  and  equally  important 
half  of  the  home  army,  and  to  turn  our  attention  to  the  un- 
selfish and  sturdy  Americanism  displayed  by  the  women  of 
our  Commonwealth.  With  untiring  zeal  and  patient  help- 
fulness they  rallied  to  the  Nation's  call,  a  mighty  influence 
in  supporting  the  crusaders  battling  in  foreign  lands,  and 
rendered  a  service  never  to  be  forgotten  in  the  annals  of 
the  State. 

Soon  after  our  entry  into  the  war,  from  one  end  of  the 
Commonwealth  to  the  other  the  women,  as  previously 
stated,  eager  to  help  and  restless  in  their  activity,  started 
new  organizations  or  reconstructed  existing  ones,  anticipating 
every  want  and  challenging  every  emergency.  Yet  these 
associations  as  a  whole  were  neither  correlated  nor  in  any 
respect  centralized,  but  represented  an  immense  amount  of 
cumulative  but  duplicated  energy,  much  of  which  was  neces- 
sarily wasted,  and  which  in  the  existing  emergency  all  felt 
should  be  amalgamated  into  a  single  well-organized  body. 
No  one  understood  this  state  of  things  better  than  the 
officers  and  influential  leaders  of  these  multiple  organiza- 
tions. With  a  view  to  the  betterment  of  these  conditions 
the  Preparatory  Committee  on  Co-ordination  of  Aid  Societies 
was  appointed,  the  successful  outcome  of  whose  efforts 
under  Mr.  B.  Preston  Clark's  direction  may  be  found  in 
the  discussion  of  that  Committee  in  Part  I. 

In  May,  1917,  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer  of  Boston  was 
chosen  temporary  chairman  of  the  Massachusetts  Division 

256 


of  the  Woman's  Committee  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense,  an  appointment  which  later,  in  response  to  a 
unanimous  desire,  was  made  permanent.  On  the  invitation 
of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  the  Woman's  Committee 
became  part  of  its  organization,  and  occupied  adjoining 
offices  in  the  State  House,  its  work  being  entirely  financed 
by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  during  the  continuance 
of  the  war. 

From  that  time  on,  as  the  Massachusetts  woman  repre- 
sentative of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  and  still  later 
as  Home  Economics  director  by  appointment  of  Mr.  Hoover 
at  Mr.  Endicott's  request,  Mrs.  Thayer,  loyally  and  ably 
assisted  by  Mrs.  Herbert  J.  Gurney  as  vice-chairman,  and 
by  a  very  efficient  committee,  administered  practically  all 
the  more  important  women's  war  functions  throughout  the 
Commonwealth,  —  a  position  at  once  unique  and  exacting. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  enlarge  on  the  success  of  Mrs.  Thayer's 
efforts.  Her  work  has  become  part  of  the  history  of  Massa- 
chusetts. It  was  a  noble  and  memorable  achievement 
which  won  for  her  and  her  associates  the  admiration  and 
respectful  affection  of  the  entire  Commonwealth. 


257 


CHAPTER  I 

MASSACHUSETTS  DIVISION,  WOMAN'S  COUNCIL  OF 

NATIONAL  DEFENSE 

Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer,  Chairman. 

Mrs.  Herbert  J.  Gurney,  President  of  the  Massachusetts  Federation  of 

Women's  Clubs,  Vice-Chair  man. 
Mrs.  William  W.  Taff,  Treasurer. 
Mrs.  Samuel  W.  McCall,  Honorary  Chairman. 
Mrs.  Andrew  J.  Peters,  Honorary  Chairman. 
Mrs.  Frank  D.  Ellison,  Massachusetts  State  Regent  of  the  Daughters  of 

the  American  Revolution. 
Mrs.  W.  M.  Cunniff,  representing  the  League  of  Catholic  Women. 
Mrs.  A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
Miss  Anna  Bowen,  representing  labor. 

On  June  15,  1917,  a  large  meeting  was  held  in  the  State 
House,  to  which  every  woman's  organization  in  the  Com- 
monwealth had  been  requested  to  send  a  representative 
with  voting  power.  Two  hundred  were  present,  Mrs.  Thayer 
was  made  permanent  chairman,  and  the  Committee,  as  above 
given,  appointed. 

The  Council  of  National  Defense,  a  body  authorized  by 
act  of  Congress  in  August,  1916,  consisted  of  the  Secretary 
of  War,  of  the  Navy,  of  the  Interior,  of  Agriculture,  of 
( lommerce  and  of  Labor.  The  Council  was  given  the  power 
to  organize  subordinate  bodies  and  committees. 

The  Woman's  Committee  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense  was  formed  on  April  21,  1917.  The  purpose  of 
this  Committee  was  to  co-ordinate  the  activities  and  the 
resources  of  the  organized  and  unorganized  women  of  the 
country,  that  their  power  might  be  immediately  utilized  in 
time  of  need,  and  also  to  supply  a  new  and  direct  chan- 
nel of  communication  and  co-operation  between  women 
and  governmental  departments.  The  Committee  was  re- 
quested to  organize  State  divisions,  which  in  turn  should 

258 


form  local  units  of  all  women's  associations  and  societies 
without  regard  to  creed,  purpose  or  race.  Women  not 
belonging  to  any  organized  societies  were  likewise  eligible 
to  membership.  The  Woman's  Council  of  National  Defense 
was  composed  of  nine  members  from  different  States,  Mrs. 
Stanley  MeCormick  of  Boston  representing  Massachusetts. 
In  the  Massachusetts  division  the  following  departments 
of  work  were  organized,  as  suggested  by  the  Woman's  Com- 
mittee in  Washington:  — 

Registration. 

Food  Production  and  Conservation. 

Miss  Sarah  Louise  Arnold.  Chairman,  later  succeeded  by  Mrs.  Mal- 
t,         colm  Donald. 
Women  in  Industry. 

Mrs.  William  A.  Troy,1  Chairman. 

Mrs.  George  T.  Rice,1  Vice-Chair  man. 
Child  Welfare. 

Miss  Mary  T.  Beard,  Chairman. 

Miss  Gertrude  Peabody,  Vice-Chair  man. 
Maintenance  of  Social  Conditions. 

Mrs.  Frederick  S.  Mead,  Chairman. 
Education. 

Mrs.  Sumner  B.  Pearmain,  Chairman. 
Liberty  Loan. 

Mrs.  Barrett  Wendell,  Chairman. 
Red  Cross  and  Allied  Relief. 

Mrs.  William  H.  Lothrop,  Chairman. 
Health  and  Recreation. 

Mrs.  John  A.  Johnston,  Chairman. 

Mrs.  Robert  W.  Lovett,  Executive  Chairman. 

The  purpose  of  each  of  these  departments  was  carried 
out,  with  the  exception  of  Registration,  which  was  found  to 
be  unnecessary  owing  to  the  large  number  of  registration 
facilities  already  available  for  women,  through  several 
organizations.  The  two  departments  of  Food  Production 
and  Conservation  were  conducted  as  one.  In  June,  1918, 
the  department  of  Liberty  Loan  was  separated  from  the 
Committee  in  Washington. 

1  Both  appointed  by  the  American  Federation  of  Labor. 

259 


Local  chairmen  were  appointed  (see  Appendix,  page  557) 
in  each  of  the  356  cities  and  towns  in  the  State,  with  the 
exception  of  a  very  few  towns  so  small  and  with  such 
scattered  population  that  united  work  was  impossible.  In 
some  of  the  larger  towns  several  chairmen  were  appointed 
for  different  sections,  making  the  total  number  of  chairmen 
larger  than  the  number  of  towns  and  cities.  Much  of  the 
work  was  done  by  the  following  county  field  secretaries,  who 
gave  invaluable  assistance  by  personally  visiting  and  interest- 
ing large  numbers  of  women :  — 

Mrs.  R.  M.  Harper,  Barnstable  County. 

Mrs.  Carlos  de  Heredia,  Berkshire  County. 

Mrs.  Louis  A.  Frothingham,  Bristol  Count  v. 

Mrs.  Charles  P.  Greenough,  Dukes  County. 

Mrs.  Richard  S.  Russell,  Essex  County. 

Mrs.  Richards  M.  Bradley,  Franklin  County. 

Mrs.  William  E.  Towne,  Hampden  County. 

Miss  Helen  A.  Harriman,  Hampshire  County. 

Mrs.  William  F.  Wharton,  Middlesex  County. 

Mrs.  Witliam  S.  Patten  and  Mrs.  Richard  W.  Hale,  Norfolk  County. 

Mrs.  Wirt  Dexter,  Plymouth  County. 

Miss  Ruth  Thayer,  Worcester  County. 

A  series  of  monthly  conferences  was  held,  beginning  June, 
1917,  and  continuing  without  interruption,  except  during 
the  influenza  epidemic,  until  several  months  after  the 
armistice  was  signed. 

These  meetings  were  largely  attended  by  women  from  all 
over  the  State,  and  were  always  in  the  nature  of  a  general 
discussion,  where  questions  might  be  freely  asked  and  reports 
submitted  by  the  chairmen  of  the  respective  departments. 
Many  special  and  interesting  speakers  were  heard  at  these 
gatherings,  usually  including  several  from  the  more  impor- 
tant of  the  men's  departments  of  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety. 

On  comparing  notes  at  the  several  conferences  held  in 
Washington  during  the  eighteen  months  of  its  work,  the 
Woman's  Committee  was  satisfied  that  Massachusetts  en- 


260 


joyed  remarkable  privileges  and  opportunities  from  the 
co-operation,  advice,  ready  sympathy,  and  financial  support 
given  at  all  times  by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

The  co-operation  and  loyalty  of  the  large,  as  well  as  of 
the  smaller,  existing  women's  organizations  were  very 
encouraging.  The  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs,  under  Mrs. 
Gurney;  the  Catholic  Women's  War  Work  Council,  under 
Miss  Mary  A.  Barr;  the  National  Civic  Federation,  under 
Mrs.  Frederick  S.  Mead;  the  Women's  Municipal  League, 
under  Mrs.  William  Morton  Wheeler;  the  Special  Aid 
Society,  under  Mrs.  Barrett  Wendell;  the  Jewish  Women's 
Organizations;  the  Red  Cross;  the  Collegiate  Alumnae, 
Jhnder  Mrs.  Sumner  B.  Pearmain;  the  Daughters  of  the 
Revolution,  under  Mrs.  Frank  D.  Ellison;  and  county  and 
city  home  demonstration  agents  of  the  Massachusetts  Agri- 
cultural College  were  only  a  few  of  the  many  organizations 
which  gave  their  hearty  co-operation  to  every  branch  of 
the  undertaking. 

An  account  of  the  work  of  the  more  active  committees 
directly  associated  with  the  Massachusetts  division  of  the 
Woman's  Council  of  National  Defense  follows. 


261 


CHAPTER  II 

COMMITTEE  ON  CHILD  WELFARE,  WOMAN'S  COUN 
CIL  OF   NATIONAL   DEFENSE 

Miss  Mary  Beard,  Chairman. 

Miss  Gertrude  W.  Peabody,  Vice-Chairman. 

Mrs.  William  Lowell  Putnam. 
Mrs.  S.  Burt  Wolbach. 
Mrs.  W.  W.  AVhitcher. 


Mrs.  Michael  M.  Cunniff. 

Miss  Isabel  Hyams. 

Mrs.  Robert  L.  DeNormandie. 


It  would  be  impossible  to  tell  the  story  of  the  Child 
Welfare  Department  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense 
without  giving  in  part  the  history  of  the  State  Department 
of  Health  in  its  work  for  child  conservation.  The  task  was 
a  joint  one,  to  which  both  sides  devoted  themselves  with 
enthusiasm. 

Soon  after  the  United  States  declared  war,  the  Massa- 
chusetts State  Department  of  Health  turned  its  attention 
to  the  probable  effects  of  such  action  upon  the  civilian 
population,  and  outlined  a  program  for  the  protection  of 
maternity  and  infancy.  War,  it  was  recognized,  was  sure 
to  produce  an  economic  situation  which  would  react  on  the 
health  of  children.  The  price  of  food  would  increase,  thus 
inviting  difficulties  in  providing  children  with  proper  nourish- 
ment. Men  would  be  drafted  into  active  service,  thereby 
lowering  the  income  of  the  family,  or  forcing  the  mother, 
at  the  sacrifice  of  her  child,  to  work.  The  high  wages  offered 
under  pressure  of  war  conditions  would  tempt  mothers  to 
become  wage  earners  and  to  neglect  their  children.  The 
infant  mortality  rate  was  certain  to  register  the  results  of 
these  conditions.  Furthermore,  the  birth  rate  would  natu- 
rally decline,  and  unless  this  was  in  some  degree  counter- 
balanced, a  serious  shortage  of  man  power  faced  the  coming 
generation.  Normally,  over  12,000  babies  under  five  years 
old,  of  whom  4,000  are  under  a  month  old,  die  annually  in 

262 


Massachusetts.  Medical  experts  assert  that  this  slaughter 
of  the  innocents,  and  economic  waste,  could  be  reduced 
one-half  if  scientific  knowledge  and  skill  were  made  available 
to  women.  Dr.  Grace  Meigs's  study  of  the  effect  of  the 
war  on  infancy  and  maternity  in  the  European  countries 
gave  actual  proof  that  the  anticipated  conditions  had  there 
resulted,  and  were  so  serious  in  their  nature  that  in  the 
second  year  of  the  war  each  country  had  taken  radical  steps 
to  combat  them,  with  very  encouraging  results. 

On  May  26,  1917,  Dr.  Allan  J.  McLaughlin,  Massachu- 
setts Commissioner  of  Health,  was  appointed,  with  others 
from  the  State  Department  of  Health,  to  serve  in  an  advisory 
capacity  as  a  Committee  on  Child  Conservation.  In  a 
letter  to  Governor  McCall,  announcing  the  appointment  of 
this  Committee,  he  referred  to  conservation  of  child  life  as 
the  most  important  type  of  conservation  in  our  national 
stress;  and  as  essential  thereto,  prenatal  care,  obstetrical 
care  and  infant  feeding. 

The  State  Committee  planned  to  make  a  survey  of  every 
city  and  town,  village  and  hamlet,  in  the  State,  in  order  to 
discover  the  mortality  and  morbidity  statistics  of  children 
under  the  age  of  five  years,  and  also  to  ascertain  what 
facilities  existed  for  lowering  these  figures.  It  therefore 
appealed  for  help  to  the  Metropolitan  Chapter  of  the  Red 
Cross,  and  a  special  fund  was  raised  to  meet  this  war  emer- 
gency so  directly  affecting  the  civilian  population.  With 
salaries  thus  assured,  a  public  health  nurse  was  appointed 
for  each  of  the  eight  health  districts  in  the  State.  These 
nurses  were  selected  with  the  greatest  care,  all  of  them 
having  had  not  only  public  health  training,  but  a  consider- 
able amount  of  experience  in  actual  public  health  field  work 
for  children. 

From  the  first  it  was  evident  to  the  State  Committee  on 
Child  Conservation  that  the  official  connection  between  the 
nurses  and  the  boards  of  health  was  not  in  itself  sufficient 
to  assure  the  desired  results.  New  lines  of  work  had,  as  a 
rule,  been  promoted  by  private  initiative  and  paid  for  out 

263 


of  private  funds,  and  only  after  their  value  had  been  demon- 
strated was  the  responsibility  for  their  continuance  assumed 
by  some  public  body.  It  appeared  that  the  interest  and 
active  support-  of  the  entire  community  would  have  to  be 
aroused,  if  infant  mortality  were  to  be  reduced  and  the 
recommendations  of  the  State  Committee  carried  out.  The 
State  Committee,  therefore,  turned  to  Miss  Mary  Beard, 
chairman  of  the  Child  Welfare  Department  of  the  Woman's 
Committee  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense.  That 
Department  was  asked  by  the  State  Committee  to  co- 
operate with  it  in  carrying  out  its  program,  and  by  its  aid, 
in  October,  1918,  established  a  Child  Welfare  Committee  in 
each  town,  under  the  local  unit  of  the  Council.  These  local 
committees  varied  in  their  membership  and  activity  with 
the  needs  of  the  community.  The  more  populous  cities 
organized  on  a  large  scale,  and  the  committees  were  usually 
composed  of  representatives  of  all  organizations  working  for 
children,  and  of  others  who  might  be  interested.  Two  hun- 
dred and  forty  of  the  committees  were  formed,  ranging  in 
membership  from  one  to  fifty.  In  order  to  arouse  and  main- 
tain their  interest  and  to  create  a  healthy  rivalry,  monthly 
conferences  were  held  at  the  State  House,  at  which  specialists 
on  the  various  parts  of  the  program  spoke,  and  where 
informal  discussions  and  reports  were  made.  For  the  con- 
venience of  those  living  at  a  distance  from  Boston  conferences 
were  held  from  time  to  time  throughout  the  State.  The 
value  of  these  committees,  measured  by  the  influence  they 
exerted  upon  their  local  communities,  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. 

To  organize  and  direct  the  local  committees  was  the 
function  of  the  Committee  of  the  Child  Welfare  Depart- 
ment of  the  Council  of  National  Defense.  To  make  the 
surveys,  the  nurses  visited  the  representatives  of  the  boards 
of  health,  Child  Welfare  Committees  of  the  Council  of 
National  Defense,  the  child  welfare  agencies,  the  visiting 
nursing  associations,  and  other  private  organizations  which 
were  doing  child  welfare  work.     They  also  gained  informa- 

264 


tion  by  personal  investigation  concerning  the  quality  of 
work  being  done  by  these  organizations.  From  these  facts 
the  nurses  made  to  the  State  Committee  on  Child  Conserva- 
tion such  suggestions  for  developing  the  project  as  seemed 
to  them  best  adapted  to  a  particular  locality.  A  meeting  of 
the  State  Committee  was  held  at  which  the  nurse  who  made 
the  survey  was  present,  as  frequently,  also,  the  health 
officer  of  the  District,  and  a  specific  program  was  outlined. 
A  letter,  written  by  the  State  Committee,  was  sent  to  the 
chairman  of  the  Child  Welfare  Committee  of  the  local  unit 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  stating  the  program  and 
urging  its  adoption.  The  Commissioner  of  Health  at  the 
/same  time  sent  a  letter  to  the  local  board  of  health  in  the 
town  or  city  under  consideration,  urging  its  assistance  in 
putting  the  plan  into  operation. 

The  recommendations  of  the  State  Committee  and  the 
Commissioner  called  at  times  for  an  extension  of  the  work 
already  being  done  by  the  local  boards  of  health,  or  for  the 
undertaking  of  new  work  by  the  Committee  itself.  Some- 
times these  advices  suggested  that  additional  nurses  be 
furnished  by  the  Visiting  Nursing  Association,  or  demanded 
reorganization  of  that  body.  Again,  they  called  for  free 
obstetrical  beds  in  hospitals,  and  often  for  the  extension  of 
prenatal  care,  or  the  provision  of  such  care  where  none  had 
been  previously  given.  The  Committee  invariably  urged 
the  supervision,  also,  of  healthy  children  from  birth  up  to 
five  years  of  age.  Not  infrequently  it  recommended  the 
establishment  of  prenatal  and  well-baby  clinics.  It  some- 
times urged  that  hospitals  provide  out-patient  departments 
to  which  sick  children  could  be  brought  for  treatment.  The 
Committee  insisted  in  every  instance  on  the  necessity  of 
special  training  for  nurses  who  did  public  health  work,  and 
urged  the  Department  of  Health  and  the  visiting  nursing 
associations  to  make  special  effort  to  secure  this  type  of 
nurse.  These  recommendations  were  in  many  places  carried 
out,  through  the  efforts  of  the  Child  Welfare  Committees. 

In  February,  1918,  the  Child  Welfare  Department  of  the 

265 


Council  of  National  Defense  and  the  Federal  Children's 
Bureau  proclaimed  the  "children's  year"  to  be  from 
April  6,  1918,  to  April  6,  1919,  and  that  "the  second  year  of 
the  war  should  be  marked  by  determined  Nation-wide  effort 
on  behalf  of  childhood."     The  program  also  included:  — 

I.  Public  protection  of  mothers,  infants  and  young  children. 

II.  Home  care  and  income. 

III.  Child  labor  and  education. 

IV.  Recreation. 

V.     Children  in  need  of  special  care. 

The  first  part  of  this  comprehensive  plan  for  child  conser- 
vation dealt  with  problems  of  infant  mortality  and  child 
hygiene,  and  the  program  presented  was  almost  identical 
with  that  already  being  carried  out  in  Massachusetts.  The 
national  plan,  however,  urged  that  as  a  basis  for  permanent 
child  welfare  work  a  physical  census  of  all  children  under 
five  years  old  be  taken  by  a  national  weighing  and  measuring 
test.  The  country  would  then  know  the  physical  condition 
of  its  young  children,  and  take  the  necessary  measures  to 
improve  it,  while  the  coming  generation  would  be  able  to 
pass  a  better  physical  examination  than  the  young  men  of 
the  present  day  had  proved  themselves  in  condition  to  do 
when  examined  for  the  draft.  The  test  was  approved  by 
the  State  Committee,  and  was  carried  out  by  the  local  Child 
Welfare  Committees  with  the  active  and  enthusiastic  assist- 
ance of  the  child  welfare  nurses.  Record  cards  and  printed 
instructions  were  supplied  by  the  Children's  Bureau,  and 
each  committee  was  instructed  that  the  value  of  the  test 
lay  in  the  thoroughness  with  which  plans  for  permanent 
follow-up  work  were  carried  out. 

The  usefulness  of  the  weighing  and  measuring  test  lay  in 
two  directions:  first,  the  parents  and  the  community  learned 
what  was  the  physical  condition  of  their  little  children;  and 
second,  they  learned  how  conditions  unfavorable  to  the 
health  of  the  children  could  be  improved.  One  hundred  and 
fifty-two  towns,  cities  and  villages  in  Massachusetts  went 

266 


through  this  wholesome  experience.  To  give  but  one 
example,  the  test  was  applied  in  a  certain  city  to  742  chil- 
dren, of  whom  one-third  were  below  the  average  standard. 
One  child  had  been  suffering  for  four  years  with  badly 
inflamed  and  swollen  eyes.  A  very  lame  little  boy  was  found 
upon  examination  to  have  considerable  shortening  in  one 
leg,  caused  by  a  broken  bone  of  which  the  parents  were 
ignorant.  A  tuberculous  mother  was  struggling  to  take  care 
of  her  three  children.  Poorly  nourished  women  were  nursing 
their  babies,  and  children  were  being  improperly  fed.  Num- 
bers of  adenoids  and  enlarged  tonsils  were  discovered. 
Mothers  were  eager  to  substitute  artificial  feeding  for  breast- 
feeding, and  others  were  ignorant  of  the  physical  care  their 
babies  required  in  order  to  keep  them  well. 

The  question  was,  what  would  the  attitude  of  the  com- 
munity be  towards  this  revelation  of  its  neglected  and  un- 
cared  for  children?  Would  more  proof  be  needed  that  it 
was  failing  to  give  them  the  chance  to  become  strong  and 
able  to  do  their  school  work?  As  a  result,  in  this  particular 
city  three  permanent  clinics  were  established,  and  the  under- 
average  cases  received  special  attention  from  the  public 
health  nurse.  Some  children  wTere  sent  to  hospitals  for  treat- 
ment, and  others  were  referred  to  family  physicians;  the 
child  with  sore  eyes  was  put  under  special  supervision,  and 
thus  saved  from  blindness;  and  the  little  lame  boy  was 
much  benefited  by  hospital  treatment.  Mothers  gladly 
received  and  acted  upon  the  instruction  given  them  in 
infant  care  and  feeding. 

The  methods  of  procedure  in  different  places  varied 
greatly.  In  one  town  of  4,000  the  first  step  of  the  Child 
Welfare  Committee  was  to  procure  a  nurse.  The  weighing 
and  measuring  process  followed,  which  gave  publicity  to  the 
work.  Co-operation  between  the  doctors,  the  school  officers 
and  the  Committee  was  quickly  secured,  and  the  execution 
of  the  program  begun.  The  final  outcome  was  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  Visiting  Nursing  Association  which  represented  a 
broader  interpretation  of  public  health  service,  and  of  which 

267 


the  Child  Welfare  Committee  became  a  part.  In  many 
communities  where  visiting  nursing  associations  already 
existed,  the  Child  Welfare  Committee  urged  upon  the  associa- 
tion the  need  for  prenatal  and  child  welfare  work.  Well- 
baby  clinics  were  established;  sometimes  by  the  Child  Wel- 
fare Committee  itself,  often  by  its  influence  on  an  existing 
organization,  and  again  by  the  public  health  officials.  The 
same  variety  of  influences  took  part  in  the  establishment  of 
special  child  welfare  nurses.  One  city,  with  a  population  of 
62,000,  reported  that  through  the  pressure  of  the  Council 
of  National  Defense  the  need  for  further  work  in  the  interest 
of  baby  saving  was  so  emphasized  that  finally  the  matter  was 
given  consideration  in  the  inaugural  address  of  the  mayor, 
and  promises  were  made  for  sufficient  appropriations  to  meet 
all  requirements. 

In  the  city  of  Boston,  after  the  weighing  and  measuring 
test  was  completed,  the  clinics  of  the  Baby  Hygiene  Associa- 
tion more  than  doubled  in  many  of  the  districts,  and  the 
children's  clinics  in  all  the  hospitals  increased  very  per- 
ceptibly, that  of  the  Children's  Hospital  increasing  20  per 
cent.  However,  with  Boston's  thousands  of  underweight 
children,  the  Child  Welfare  Committee  realized  the  impossi- 
bility of  carrying  out  in  a  few  months'  time  an  intensive 
follow-up  campaign  for  the  whole  city,  and  therefore  selected 
one  district  for  a  demonstration. 

Side  by  side  with  this  medical  program  an  educational 
propaganda  was  also  carried  on  in  Massachusetts.  Pre- 
ventive medicine  is  still  a  new  science,  and  is  to  a  large  extent 
unrecognized  in  its  relation  to  maternity  and  infancy.  Its 
possibilities  and  actual  accomplishments  in  this  connection 
must  be  presented  clearly  and  repeatedly  to  the  public,  if 
the  demand  for  such  care  is  to  be  so  universal  as  to  insure 
its  being  supplied.  Material  for  this  propaganda  was  dis- 
tributed weekly  to  the  local  Child  Welfare  Committees,  as 
well  as  published  in  the  newspapers  throughout  the  State. 
In    addition,    the    baby    hygiene    program    was    personally 

268 


explained.  The  physicians  of  the  State  Committee  pre- 
sented the  plan  to  the  medical  groups;  the  supervisors  spoke 
at  meetings  in  every  town;  and  the  vice-chairman  of  the 
Child  Welfare  Department  journeyed  through  the  Common- 
wealth, meeting  her  local  chairmen  at  convenient  points  in 
conference.  Women's  clubs  had  the  plan  brought  to  their 
attention  by  their  public  health  committees,  and  each  local 
committee  endeavored  to  arouse  its  community  to  the  im- 
portance of  introducing  and  developing  these  measures,  if 
only  for  its  own  benefit.  The  excellent  literature  of  the 
State  Department  of  Health  on  the  care  and  feeding  of  the 
baby  was  also  widely  distributed. 

£  An  important  piece  of  educational  work  was  done  by  the 
Boston  Committee  in  connection  with  the  Child  Conserva- 
tion Cottage,  one  of  a  group  placed  on  Boston  Common 
during  the  war.  Posters  and  exhibits  on  the  care  and  hygiene 
of  the  expectant  mother,  and  on  the  hygiene  of  the  baby  and 
the  medical  supervision  essential  for  children  up  to  five  years 
of  age,  were  all  arranged  in  attractive  form.  Printed  placards 
showed  the  value  of  a  doctor's  care  for  the  expectant  mother, 
both  for  her  own  safety  and  that  of  her  baby.  Breast-feed- 
ing was  emphasized,  and  modification  and  supervision  of 
milk  explained.  Suitable  and  reasonably  priced  clothes  for 
mother  and  baby  were  put  on  view.  A  cariole  made  from  a 
packing  box,  a  clothes-basket  bed,  and  other  useful  articles 
were  displayed.  A  trained  nurse,  a  graduate  of  the  Children's 
Hospital,  was  in  attendance  to  answer  questions  and  explain 
exhibits.  Her  work  was  reinforced  by  that  of  a  corps  of 
volunteers.  Mothers  sought  her  professional  advice,  and 
eagerly  listened  to  her  talks  on  the  many  details  of  health 
and  hygiene.  Lectures  were  given  in  the  cottage  by  experi- 
enced physicians  on  prenatal  care,  physical  care  of  young 
children,  and  hygiene  of  the  eyes,  ears  and  teeth.  Two  talks 
were  given  for  Italian  mothers  in  their  native  tongue.  A 
Liberty  Milk  Shop  was  also  opened  in  Boston  for  the  purpose 
of  educating  the  people  in  the  value  of  milk  as  food,  and 

269 


the  many  ways  of  using  it.  On  account  of  the  increased 
price  much  less  milk  was  being  used,  and  in  some  homes  the 
children's  milk  supply  was  entirely  cut  off. 

As  the  result  of  a  conference  with  the  vocational  school 
division  of  the  Board  of  Education,  a  course  on  child  welfare 
was  outlined  by  the  department  and  the  State  Department 
of  Health,  for  use  in  the  vocational  schools.  This  was  ap- 
proved by  the  State  Board  of  Education,  and  published  by 
the  State  Department  of  Health.  About  1,000  copies  were 
distributed,  being  designed  for  the  practical  instruction  of 
girls  over  fourteen  years  of  age  and  for  young  married 
women.  Such  topics  as  prenatal  care,  infant  feeding,  care  of 
the  baby,  and  mental  development  were  included,  with  a 
final  study  of  community  resources  for  child  care.  Each 
subject  was  treated  in  a  practical  way,  fully  illustrated,  and 
with  ample  suggestions  for  demonstrations.  It  was  believed 
that  this  might  be  the  beginning  of  a  more  general  education 
for  girls  in  infant  and  child  care,  and  it  was  earnestly  hoped 
that  the  opportunity  would  be  given  later  for  all  girls  over 
fourteen  to  have  like  training. 

It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  results  of  these  twenty 
months  of  intensive  child-saving  in  Massachusetts,  or  how 
far  their  influence  reached.  Certain  definite  statements 
may,  however,  be  made.  Positions  were  created  for  sixty 
public  health  nurses.  Thirty-three  child  welfare  stations 
and  eight  prenatal  clinics  were  established.  The  sum  of 
.$85,480  was  raised  by  subscription  for  nurses'  salaries.  The 
terrible  epidemic  which  swept  over  Massachusetts  in  Sep- 
tember and  October,  1918,  demonstrated  in  many  localities 
the  crying  need  of  the  community  nurse.  Many  towns  of 
2,000  or  3,000  inhabitants  were  at  that  time  still  asking  for 
municipal  appropriations  for  public  health  service.  The 
education  of  the  public  in  the  value  of  child  conservation 
largely  determines  progressive  action  in  this  direction,  and 
Massachusetts  may  indeed  look  forward  to  steady  increase 
in  the  practical  work  as  the  natural  outcome  of  the  activities 
of  public  and  private  agencies  urging  these  ends. 


270 


In  June,  1918,  the  recreation  program  for  "children's 
year"  was  issued.  An  appeal  was  made  to  save  the  children 
of  the  country  from  the  dangers  incident  to  war,  by  pro- 
viding' them  with  wholesome  recreation  and  activities  for 
their  leisure  time.  In  a  study  of  child  welfare  in  warring 
countries  in  Europe,  made  by  the  Children's  Bureau,  it  was 
stated  that  juvenile  delinquency  had  increased.  Greater 
numbers  of  children  than  usual  were  being  brought  to  court, 
with  increasing  seriousness  in  their  offenses.  Writers  on  the 
subject  were  unanimous  in  their  reasons  for  this  delinquency, 
such  as  the  absence  of  fathers  in  the  army,  and  of  mothers 
in  the  factorv;  the  fact  that  leaders  had  been  drawn  awav 
irom  the  schools  and  clubs;  that  parks  and  playgrounds 
had  been  closed;  that  children  could  command  high  wages, 
and  therefore  developed  that  sense  of  freedom  from  disci- 
pline which  comes  to  a  child  with  independent  wage-earning 
ability. 

The  national  program  asked  that  a  "patriotic  play  week" 
be  arranged  for  every  town  during  September,  with  the  idea 
that  all  summer  play  activities  might  culminate  in  one  great 
demonstration.  Leaflets  were  published  with  suggestions 
for  games,  pageants,  picnics  and  physical  efficiency  tests. 
These  were  sent  to  every  chairman  in  Massachusetts.  It 
was  realized,  however,  that  to  do  any  thorough  work  expert 
leadership  was  necessary,  as  in  the  baby  hygiene  program, 
where  the  nurses  had  taken  so  important  a  part.  The 
Playground  and  Recreation  Association  of  America  was 
appealed  to,  and  a  field  secretary  was  sent  to  develop  recrea- 
tional work  in  Massachusetts  in  connection  with  the  Child 
Welfare  Department.  She  came  in  August,  but  unfortu- 
nately her  work  was  seriously  interrupted  by  the  influenza 
epidemic  and  her  own  illness,  forcing  her  to  be  away  for 
three  months  and  preventing  the  resumption  of  her  work 
until  January.  Her  report  of  the  situation  reads  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

In  Massachusetts  the  plans  for  a  play  week  amounted  to  nothing  — 
as  such;    but  the  Child  Welfare  Committee  in  disseminating  the  material 

271 


on  the  subject  <litl  a  very  effective  piece  of  constructive  work.  The  litera- 
ture sent  out  has  been  of  decided  educational  value,  and  has  had  an  un- 
told influence  in  arousing  communities  to  the  realization  of  the  importance 
of  play  in  child  conservation.  The  proof  of  the  efficacy  of  this  propaganda 
is  the  number  of  towns  which  have  asked  for  further  information  regard- 
ing the  movement,  and  which  have  shown  a  desire  to  start  the  work.  If 
follow-up  work  can  be  provided  before  this  interest  has  a  chance  to  lag, 
without  doubt  much  progress  will  be  made. 

In  November  the  national  program  for  the  "back-to- 
school  drive"  was  issued.  This  aimed  to  return  to  school 
those  boys  and  girls  who  left  in  June  but  failed  to  come 
back  after  vacation;  also  to  educate  parents,  and  the  public 
generally,  in  the  value  of  a  longer  period  of  instruction  for 
boys  and  girls,  and  in  establishing  scholarships  for  those 
who  would  otherwise  be  unable  to  obtain  such  education. 
Continuation  classes  and  vocational  guidance  were  given 
consideration  in  the  scheme.  The  Child  Welfare  Depart- 
ment turned  to  the  State  Board  of  Education  for  advice, 
and  offered  its  co-operation  in  carrying  out  that  part  of  the 
program  which  the  commissioner  considered  proper  and 
necessary  in  Massachusetts.  After  several  conferences  be- 
tween the  two  departments,  the  commissioner  made  the 
following  statement,  which  was  sent  to  Washington :  — 

The  laws  of  this  State  appear  to  provide  adequate  means  to  be  used 
by  the  properly  constituted  authorities  of  the  State  for  the  enforcement 
of  compulsory  education  laws,  and  for  the  prevention  of  illegal  employ- 
ment of  children  in  industry.  Moreover,  it  is  proposed  to  strengthen  the 
compulsory  education  law,  and  to  add  provisions  for  compulsory  continua- 
tion schools.    Plans  for  this  legislation  are  being  vigorously  pushed. 

The  commissioner  further  stated  as  his  belief  that  "ample 
machinery  was  provided  by  law,  through  the  authorized 
school  officials  of  the  State,  for  dealing  with  this  group  of 
boys  and  girls  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  years  of  age."  As 
a  result  of  the  foregoing,  the  "back-to-school  drive"  received 
no  further  emphasis. 

With  the  cessation  of  war,  the  departments  of  the  Council 
of  National  Defense  were   asked   to  make  plans  whereby 

272 


such  activities  as  were  of  use  to  the  State  in  times  of  peace 
should  be  organized  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  permanent  and 
independent  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense.  This 
work,  also  started  bv  the  Massachusetts  Committee,  would 
appear  to  be  as  important  in  peace  as  in  war  time.  In  con- 
sidering the  actual  results  accomplished  by  the  depart- 
ment, the  program  in  relation  to  child  hygiene  stood  out 
most  forcibly,  and  it  was  determined  that  every  effort 
should  be  centered  upon  insuring  its  permanency  and  further 
development.  Accordingly,  each  chairman  was  asked  to 
report  how  the  work  started  by  the  local  committee  could 
best  be  tied  to  a  permanent  local  organization.  The  replies 
fell  into  three  groups:  (1)  the  work  should  be  carried  on  by 
the  Visiting  Nursing  Association;  or  (2)  by  the  Board  of 
Health;  or  (3),  in  a  few  instances,  the  Child  Welfare  Com- 
mittee of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  should  itself 
become  a  permanent  Child  Hygiene  Association. 

There  already  existed  in  Massachusetts  an  Association  of 
Directors  of  Public  Health  Nursing  Organizations,  of  which 
many  child  welfare  chairmen  were  members,  and  which 
others  expected  to  join.  The  vice-chairman  of  the  Child 
Welfare  Department  was  the  president  of  this  association, 
and  the  State  Board  of  Health  had  the  list  of  its  members 
and  was  ready  to  continue  to  hold  conferences  at  the  State 
House,  and  also  to  call  upon  this  same  group  of  women  to 
help  carry  out  a  State  program  governing  the  health  of 
children.  The  official  backing  of  the  Council  of  National 
Defense  will  be  missed,  but  the  work  that  was  in  existence 
for  a  year  should  be  strong  enough  to  stand  by  itself  with 
the  co-operation  of  an  unofficial  State  association.  In  a  few 
cities  the  local  interest  in  recreation  was  so  great  that  a 
special  committee  was  being  formed  to  further  the  work 
independently.  It  is  therefore  not  unreasonable  to  hope 
that  what  wTas  begun  as  a  war  emergency  will  be  of  perma- 
nent value  to  the  Commonwealth. 


'27:; 


CHAPTER  III 

COMMITTEE   ON   WOMEN   IN   AGRICULTURE 

The  Committee  on  Women  in  Agriculture,  for  the  summer 
of  1918,  was  as  follows:  — 

Mrs.  J.  Montgomery  Sears,  Chairman. 


Mrs.  Gordon  Abbott. 
Miss  Mabel  Babeoek. 
Mrs.  William  A.  Copeland. 
Miss  Helen  Holmes. 


Mrs.  Lewis  K.  Morse. 
Mrs.  William  S.  Patten. 
Mrs.  Richard  S.  Russell. 
Mrs.  James  Swift. 


In  the  spring  of  1918  a  conference  was  called  by  Mrs. 
Thayer  to  plan  for  the  work  of  women  in  agriculture  in 
Massachusetts,  at  which  were  present  representatives  of 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  and  the  Women's  Agri- 
cultural Committee  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense. 

At  this  meeting  it  was  decided  that  the  registration  of 
women  for  agricultural  service  should  be  done  by  the  Land 
Service  Committee  of  the  Woman's  National  Farm  and 
Garden  Association,  and  that  the  experiment  of  establish- 
ing separate  units  should  be  attempted,  rather  than  to  make 
a  State-wide  canvas  for  woman  labor.  As  the  chairman  of 
the  Land  Service  Committee,  Mrs.  Sears,  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Woman's  Committee  on  Agriculture,  this  work  was 
done  in  co-operation  with  the  Council  of  National  Defense. 

Twelve  hundred  women  were  registered,  and  250  were 
placed  in  units  or  on  private  estates.  Eleven  units  were 
established  by  the  Land  Service  Committee,  and  the  two 
largest,  at  Lancaster  and  Westwood,  were  financed  by  the 
New  England  branch,  both  being  installed  as  demonstration 
units  and  sources  of  labor  supply. 

In  connection  with  the  Westwood  unit,  which  began  work 
in  May  and  closed  October  1,  a  communitv  market  was 
established  in  Dedham,  where  fresh  vegetables  were  sold  by 
the  farmerettes  two  days  each  week.     Canning  was  also 

274 


carried  on  throughout  the  season,  and  the  unit  furnished 
labor  to  50  employers.  In  its  behalf  a  farmerette  festival 
was  held,  September  19,  1918,  on  the  estate  of  Mrs.  Edward 
Cunningham,  which  proved  a  great  success.  Five  hundred 
people  were  present,  100  of  this  number  being  farmerettes, 
and  the  net  returns  amounted  to  $1,400. 

The  demands  for  service  at  Lancaster  began  with  the 
first  warm  days  in  the  spring,  when  the  emergency  work 
consisted  of  asparagus  cutting,  and  continued  until  after 
harvesting,  in  October.  In  all,  52  employers  were  served  in 
Lancaster  and  vicinity,  and  33  per  cent  of  this  service  re- 
mained in  the  country  to  work  during  the  winter. 
i\  Ten  other  young  women,  from  various  summer  units, 
were  placed  at  work  on  the  estate  of  Mr.  Richard  T.  Crane, 
Jr.,  at  Ipswich,  where  they  likewise  studied  various  phases 
of  farm  life. 

Very  few  of  the  women  employed  had  any  previous  knowl- 
edge of  farm  life,  but  their  spirit  and  attitude  toward  the 
project  contributed  largely  to  its  success.  This  was  proved 
by  the  appreciation  shown  on  the  part  of  their  employers, 
who  felt  (the  labor  problem  being  so  acute)  that  their  crops 
in  many  cases  would  have  been  lost  but  for  this  extra  help. 

On  Labor  Day,  the  Pittsfield  Unit,  which  was  supervised 
bv  Miss  E.  M.  Boutwell  and  financed  bv  Miss  Gertrude 
Watson,  held  a  county  fair  in  Pittsfield,  which  netted 
$400.  This  sum  was  given  to  the  Land  Service  Com- 
mittee, wdio  added  another  $100.  The  whole  was  then 
contributed  to  the  New  England  branch  for  a  scholarship 
fund,  to  be  used  by  young  women  wishing  to  take  special 
agricultural  courses  at  Amherst  the  following  winter.  These 
scholarships  were  awarded  to  five  young  women  who  had 
worked  in  units  the  previous  summer,  and  who  wished  to 
take  up  agriculture  as  a  vocation  and  to  pursue  their  studies 
at  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College. 

Improved  health  was  reported  by  practically  all  workers, 
and  for  the  first  time  the  joys  of  country  life  and  work  in 
the  open  were  realized  by  many  of  these  young  women. 

275 


A  report  of  the  work  on  the  Brookline  gardens,  under  the 
direction  of  Mrs.  William  S.  Patten  of  the  National  Civic 
Federation,  stated:  — 

The  Brookline  Girls'  Gardening  Unit  was  most  satisfactory.  Not  one 
of  the  girls  dropped  out,  missed  a  single  day  or  was  late  at  her  work. 
Twelve  out  of  the  fifteen  girls  asked  to  be  allowed  to  work  until  September 
8,  five  weeks  longer  than  the  time  for  which  they  volunteered. 

A  dance  was  given  for  the  girls  at  the  Brookline  Day  Nursery.  On 
July  13,  Mrs.  Higginson  and  Mrs.  William  Reed  invited  them  to  Cohas- 
set,  where  they  thoroughly  enjoyed  a  swim  and  a  picnic  supper. 

On  July  15,  the  garden  was  inspected  by  Mrs.  Mead.  We  fed  the  girls 
at  the  Brookline  Day  Nursery  morning  and  evening  at  a  cost  of  25  cents 
a  day  for  each  girl.  With  the  cook's  wages  of  $10.50  a  week  it  brings  the 
cost  per  girl  to  38  cents  a  day.  As  we  receive  50  cents  from  the  town  of 
Brookline,  the  expense  to  the  Civic  Federation,  not  including  installment, 
for  eight  weeks,  May  15  to  July  10,  is  $8.08. 

The  Lowthorpe  Horticultural  School,  represented  by  Miss 
Babcock,  director,  reported :  — 

The  school  established  short  training  courses  for  supervisors  in  the 
spring  of  1918.  During  the  summer  eleven  students  were  enrolled  who 
did  good  work.  Courses  of  lectures  were  given  by  Amherst  men.  The 
classes  planned  and  planted  their  own  gardens,  assisted  the  Girl  Scout 
Camp  of  Harvard,  and  did  most  of  the  work  on  the  farm  at  Lowthorpe 
— ■  haying,  apple  picking,  canning,  etc.,  —  except  plowing,  and  learned 
to  milk  and  to  take  care  of  the  stock.  The  garden  and  crops  proved  suc- 
cessful, and  we  were  able  to  send  frequent  contributions  of  vegetables  to 
Camp  Devens. 

The  Service  Unit  of  the  North  Shore  Garden  Club,  repre- 
sented by  Mrs.  Gordon  Abbott,  reported:  — 

Last  spring,  when  the  food  shortage  was  beginning  to  be  acutely  felt 
in  this  country,  a  group  of  young  girls,  most  of  them  still  at  school,  offered 
to  give  their  time  during  the  summer  holidays  to  growing  vegetables  for 
the  Beverly  Hospital,  if  the  Garden  Club  would  underwrite  expenses. 

This  offer  was  gladly  accepted,  and  the  hospital,  with  a  personnel  of 
one  hundred,  has  bought  no  vegetables  since  the  early  crops  were  ripe. 
The  supply  of  canned  and  dried  vegetables  will  last  until  next  spring's 
crops  are  ready. 

The  girls  enlisted  for  voluntary  service  of  at  least  nine  hours  a  week, 

276 


under  the  name  of  the  Service  Unit  of  the  North  Shore  Garden  Club. 
Their  work  had  three  branches,  —  a  motor  corps  that  collected  surplus 
vegetables  from  neighboring  gardens,  a  group  of  farmerettes  who  did  all 
the  work  exclusive  of  plowing  and  harrowing,  and  a  canning  group.  This 
last  worked  at  the  Wenhain  Cannery  under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Edward 
B.  Cole  for  one  day  a  week,  and  the  members  put  her  instruction  to  such 
good  use  that  they  were  able,  by  the  1st  of  July,  to  undertake,  without 
supervision,  the  canning  and  preserving  of  large  quantities  of  their  garden 
produce  at  a  small  and  well-equipped  room  that  was  lent  to  them  for  the 
purpose  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  farm.  Only  4  jars  of  the  3,069  pre- 
pared by  them  have  spoiled. 

No  man  worked  on  the  farm,  nor  was  any  labor  hired.  Most  of  the 
girls  worked  with  splendid  spirit,  and  earned  the  arm  band  of  the  Farm 
and  Garden  Association,  which  was  given  to  any  girl  who  kept  conscien- 
tiously her  agreement  with  the  unit.    The  results,  that  no  bookkeeping  can 

It.  , 

compute,  are  the  gain  to  the  girls  in  character,  the  real  benefit  to  patients 
and  nurses  of  an  ample  supply  of  fresh  vegetables,  the  increased  produc- 
tion of  food  at  a  time  when  it  was  much  needed,  and  the  help  to  the  hos- 
pital when  the  funds  of  all  home  charities  were  low.  Much  encourage- 
ment and  useful  advice  from  older  North  Shore  residents  have  helped  to 
make  this  experiment  of  the  girls  and  their  youthful  leaders  a  success. 


i77 


CHAPTER  IV 

COMMITTEE   ON   HEALTH   AND   RECREATION 

The  Department  of  Health  and  Recreation,  under  the 
leadership  of  Mrs.  Clarence  R.  Edwards,  was  formed  in 
May,  1917.  During  the  summer  Mrs.  Edwards  was  instru- 
mental in  starting  three  service  clubs,  —  one  in  Ayer,  one 
near  Camp  Devens,  and  one  in  Boston  at  48  Boylston 
Street.  Mrs.  Edwards  also  formed  a  very  efficient  committee 
of  chairmen  of  existing  organizations  interested  in  work 
among  women  and  girls.  Later,  Mrs.  Edwards  left  Boston, 
and  Mrs.  Robert  W.  Lovett  was  appointed  executive  chair- 
man, the  chairmanship  being  held  by  Mrs.  John  A.  Johnston, 
with  the  following  executive  committee :  — 


Miss  Mary  A.  Barr. 
Mrs.  A.  K.  Cohen. 
Mrs.  William  Coolidge. 
Miss  Mary  Fay. 
Mrs.  George  R.  Fearing. 


Mrs.  Henry  Howard. 
Mrs.  Joseph  Lee. 
Mrs.  Harold  Peabody. 
Mrs.  R.  S.  Russell. 
Mrs.  Robert  Weston. 


This  department  was  formed,  not  only  to  act  as  a  clearing 
house  and  co-ordinating  agency,  but  to  carry  out  in  the 
State  the  work  so  ably  suggested  and  accomplished  by  the 
War  Camp  Community  Service  in  the  cantonments.  It  co- 
operated closely  with  the  Naval  Auxiliary,  the  Special  Aid, 
the  Massachusetts  League  for  Catholic  Women,  the  Jewish 
League,  the  Jewish  Welfare  Board,  the  Massachusetts  League 
for  Women  and  Girls,  and  the  War  Work  Councils  of  both 
the  Young  Women's  and  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions. The  chairman  served  on  both  of  these  councils,  and 
the  department  worked  in  concert  with  the  local  committees 
of  both  organizations  and  with  the  Massachusetts  Com- 
mittee for  Girls  Work. 

Since  it  was  found  that  there  existed  pressing  need  to 

278 


awaken  girls  from  fourteen  to  twenty-one  years  of  age  to  a 
sense  of  their  responsibilities  and  to  the  definite  part  they 
must  take  in  the  war,  certain  service  leagues  were  established 
with  the  help  of  trained,  as  well  as  of  volunteer  workers. 
These  leagues  were  organized  in  the  following  twenty-two 
cities  and  towns  of  the  State:  Springfield,  Northampton, 
Greenfield,  Sunderland,  North  Adams,  Ayer,  Pittsfield, 
Worcester,  Fitchburg,  Leominster,  Framingham,  New  Bed- 
ford, Fall  River,  Weymouth,  Scituate,  Wakefield,  Medford, 
Ipswich,  Newburyport,  Lowell,  Quincy  and  Cambridge.  In 
ten  cities  trained  organizers  were  provided  by  the  War 
Camp  Community  Service.  This  is  only  one  of  the  many 
eases  where  the  co-operation  of  these  service  leagues  was  of 
vital  importance  to  the  department.  Four  of  the  cities 
were  equipped  with  such  organizers  through  local  support. 

The  experience  of  the  Committee  in  Lowell  showTed  great 
possibilities.  A  community  recreational  center  wTas  estab- 
lished under  the  auspices  of  the  War  Camp  Community 
Service.  This  was  entirely  non-sectarian,  and  was  enthusi- 
astically supported  by  Jews,  Catholics  and  Protestants. 

In  Ayer,  where  the  congestion  caused  by  Camp  Devens 
wTas  very  acute,  the  Committee  was  able,  through  the  kind 
offices  of  the  State,  to  establish  a  comfort  and  first-aid 
station. 

The  enthusiasm  shown  by  the  girls,  and  their  eagerness  to 
do  their  share,  encouraged  every  effort  to  continue  in  the 
future  the  plan  so  started,  and  to  profit  by  the  lessons 
taught  by  the  emergencies  of  war.  It  was  therefore  especially 
gratifying  when  later  the  War  Camp  Community  Service 
agreed  to  take  over  the  wyork  of  the  department,  as  under 
its  auspices  none  of  the  benefits  of  the  past  months  were 
likely  to  be  wasted. 


279 


CHAPTER  V 

COMMITTEE  FOR  THE  MAINTENANCE  OF  EXISTING 

SOCIAL  AGENCIES 

Mrs.  Frederick  S.  Mead,  Chairman. 

Mrs.  L.  Carteret  Fenno,  First  Vice-Chairman. 

Miss  Ida  M.  Cannon,  Second  Vice-Chairman. 

Miss  Mary  T.  Beard. 

Miss  Francis  R.  Morse. 

Miss  Mary  M.  Riddle. 

The  duties  of  this  Committee  were  not  considered  to  be 
executive.  Through  its  co-operation  with  the  other  depart- 
ments of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  and  its  Advisory 
Committee,  and  in  consultation  with  the  leaders  in  the 
field  of  social  agencies,  its  task  was :  — ■ 

First.  ■ —  To  be  satisfied,  through  a  preliminary  survey, 
that  the  existing  agencies  were  not  being  seriously  crippled 
because  of  the  war  emergency.  In  this  connection  a  survey 
conducted  by  Miss  Cannon,  Miss  Ella  Lyman,  and  Miss 
R.  Emerson  showed  that  Massachusetts  charitable  agencies 
did  not  apprehend  serious  difficulty  financially.  They  re- 
ported that  their  greatest  trouble  lay  in  a  shortage  of  social 
workers,  many  of  whom  had  been  drawn  upon  for  service 
in  the  Red  Cross,  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  etc. 

Second.  —  To  carry  and  interpret  the  messages  from 
Washington,  and  to  make  sure  of  such  correlation  among 
the  peace-time  agencies  as  was  essential  to  meet  the  necessi- 
ties created  by  war  conditions.  Recognition  of  this  require- 
ment had  already  been  felt  among  the  agencies,  which  were 
found  to  be  working  satisfactorily. 

Settlements 

Boston  was  especially  fortunate  in  its  many  settlement 
groups.     The  Council  had  little  to  offer  to  them.     On  the 

280 


other  hand,  they  were  of  inestimable  service  to  the  com- 
munity during  the  continuance  of  the  war. 

One  piece  of  settlement  work,  however,  was  brought 
about,  through  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  with  the 
sanction  of  this  Committee,  and  with  the  approval  also  of 
Mr.  Robert  A.  Woods,  president  of  the  Social  Union.  This 
was  the  districting  of  the  city  of  Boston  by  neighborhoods, 
undertaken  by  Mr.  S.  Woods  of  the  South  End  House,  Miss 
Wills  of  the  Lincoln  House,  Mrs.  Gookin,  overseer  of  the 
poor,  and  Miss  Mary  A.  Barr,  chairman  of  the  Food  Com- 
mittee for  Boston.  Under  Miss  Barr's  leadership  the  plan 
ultimately  developed,  for  the  food  work  of  the  city  proved 
it)  be  of  permanent  value. 

Day  Nurseries 

Several  conferences  were  held  with  day  nursery  groups  of 
the  State  Department  of  Health,  following  which  the  work 
was  undertaken  by  the  Department  of  Women  in  Industry, 
and  it  was  ultimately  decided  to  leave  the  matter  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  that  organization.  Particular  attention  was 
given  to  the  question  of  licensing  day  nurseries  in  the  State. 

Hospitals 

The  necessity  for  increasing  both  the  number  of  candi- 
dates and  the  facilities  for  a  nursing  service  was  judged  to 
be  the  most  obvious  requirement.  A  year  previously  con- 
ferences of  hospital  superintendents,  called  by  Dr.  Herbert 
B.  Howard  of  the  Peter  Bent  Brigham  Hospital,  led  to  a 
survey  of  facilities  in  training  schools,  and  arrangements 
were  made  to  fill  all  available  space  in  these  schools. 

To  increase  the  nursing  service  without  lowering  pro- 
fessional standards,  different  methods  were  adopted:  — 

1.  The  Housing-out  of  Pupils.  —  This  was  not  widely 
favored  by  superintendents  in  Massachusetts,  who  felt  that 
nurses  should  have  routine  hospital  life  during  their  training. 

2.  Admittance  of  College   Women.-  -This   permitted  the 

281 


admittance  of  college  women,  whose  degree  is  accepted  as 
the  equivalent  of  one  year's  service. 

3.  Release  of  Pupil  Nurses.  —  Encouragement  was  given 
for  the  release  of  pupil  nurses  for  a  period  of  four  months 
during  their  senior  year,  that  they  might  acquire  special 
experience  in  public  health  work. 

Opportunities  for  the  training  of  sixty  of  the  nurses  thus 
released  were  arranged  through  the  Instructive  District 
Nursing  Association  and  Simmons  College.  A  sub-committee 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  under  the  chairmanship 
of  Mrs.  Stephen  Rushmore,  rendered  helpful  service.  Pro- 
vision for  housing  the  nurses  was  made  through  a  special 
grant  of  $20,000  from  the  Metropolitan  Chapter  of  the  Red 
Cross. 

4.  Army  Nurses'1  Training  Corps.  —  Massachusetts  had 
one  of  the  first  army  nurse  training  schools,  —  at  Camp 
Devens.  Miss  Mary  M.  Riddle,  superintendent  of  the 
Newton  Hospital  and  a  member  of  the  Committee,  was 
chosen  superintendent.  At  this  juncture  Washington  in- 
quired whether  the  Committee  would  be  able  to  secure 
suitable  personnel  for  the  opening  class  within  a  fortnight's 
time.  Dr.  Anne  H.  Strong  undertook  the  task,  and  the 
class  was  largely  chosen  from  a  list  submitted  by  her.  The 
members  entered  the  service  for  patriotic  reasons,  and 
brought  a  new  group  into  the  field  of  nursing.  Miss  Strong 
was  asked  to  send  to  Washington  a  synopsis  of  the  method 
she  used  to  secure  this  group. 

A  sub-committee,  with  Mrs.  F.  L.  Higginson  as  chairman, 
and  Mrs.  L.  C.  Fenno  as  treasurer,  raised  a  fund  to  buy 
equipment,  textbooks  and  other  necessities  for  the  routine 
of  the  school.  Without  this  money  the  training  would  have 
been  much  delayed,  and  in  many  instances  found  to  be 
impossible. 

Drive  for  Army  Nurses'  Training  Corps 

When  the  general  call  came  from  Washington  for  the 
enrollment  of  candidates  for  the  Army   Nurses'   Training 

282 


Corps,  a  joint  meeting  was  held  with  the  councilors  of  the 
State  Nursing  Association,  by  which  their  co-operation  was 
secured  in  making  the  plan  known  throughout  the  State, 
and  also  in  the  establishment  of  a  bureau  at  the  Massachu- 
setts General  Hospital  under  the  guidance  of  Miss  Helen 
Wood.  Exceedingly  important  work  was  done  through  the 
bureau  in  the  distribution  of  in  Ion  nation  on  the  general 
subject  of  nursing,  as  well  as  in  regard  to  the  army  course. 
The  results  were  far  greater  than  is  shown  by  the  figures. 

Number  receiving  army  application  blanks, 204 

Average  age  of  applicants, 24 

Number  having  more  than  a  high  school  education  (not  including 

£      a  business  course), 75 

Two  hundred  and  fourteen  applicants  were  found  to  be 
ineligible  for  the  army  school.  These  were  given  a  list  of 
civilian  hospitals,  to  which  they  were  directly  to  apply. 

Student  Nurses'  Reserve  Corps 

A  meeting  was  called  of  representative  superintendents 
throughout  the  State,  and  their  opinion  asked  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  the  Student  Nurses'  Reserve  Corps  should 
be  organized.  With  their  assistance,  and  through  the  Com- 
mittee's connection  with  the  Council  of  National  Defense, 
as  well  as  by  extensive  publicity,  a  large  enrollment  was 
secured.  The  work  was  so  well  done  that  the  training 
schools  throughout  the  Commonwealth  will  continue  in  the 
future  to  reap  the  benefit  thereof  in  the  increased  number  of 
applicants  they  have  to  draw  from. 

Other  work  undertaken  by  the  Committee  follows. 

Commission  for  Nurses 

At  the  request  of  Acting  Surgeon-General  Brooks,  100 
nurses  were  passed  upon  to  serve  in  case  of  emergency  in 
the  Massachusetts  State  Guard.  These  nurses  were  given 
the  rank  and  pay  of  Lieutenant.    It  is  believed  that  this  is 

283 


the  first  time  such  rank  and  pay  have  been  given  to  women 
in  the  United  States,  although  a  similar  system  has  been 
customary  in  Canada  and  parts  of  Europe. 

Survey  of  Hospital  Accommodations 

In  connection  with  the  Council  of  National  Defense  of 
Boston,  Miss  Riddle  prepared  a  questionnaire  to  ascertain 
the  number  of  beds,  the  immediate  use  of  which  could  be 
depended  upon  for  returning  wounded.  The  estimate  was 
about  6,000  for  the  whole  State.  Plans  were  discussed  with 
the  same  group  as  to  adequate  provision  for  syphilitic  and 
tuberculous  cases,  and  for  those  needing  training  for  rehabili- 
tation service. 

Health  Emergency  during  Influenza  Epidemic 

The  chairman  of  the  Committee,  Mrs.  Mead,  through  her 
connection  with  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  was  asked 
to  serve  on  the  Governor's  Health  Emergency  Committee, 
and  was  put  in  charge  of  its  personnel.  The  experience  of 
that  period  made  it  more  than  ever  evident  that  our  nursing 
service  was  far  from  adequate  in  numbers,  and,  moreover, 
that  there  was  real  need  of  widening  the  service  by  the 
inclusion  of  licensed  attendants.  Of  the  total  1,000  women 
who  passed  through  the  bureau  and  took  part  in  the  care 
of  the  sick,  600,  or  nearly  two-thirds,  were  untrained  lay- 
women.  At  a  meeting  of  very  representative  interests  in 
the  nursing  world,  called  just  after  the  epidemic,  it  was 
agreed  by  all  that  a  place  in  the  nursing  service  should  be 
made  for  attendants,  and  that  every  effort  should  be  ad- 
vanced to  further  legislation  insuring  the  registration  of 
nurses  based  upon  graduation  from  an  approved  hospital, 
and  also  for  licensing  attendants. 

Mrs.  Thayer,  as  chairman  of  the  Woman's  Department  of 
the  Council  of  National  Defense,  was  asked  to  appear  for 
this  bill,  and  the  Committee  had  reason  to  hope  that  the 
legislation  so  long  hoped  for  would  be  passed,  for  great 
interest  in  nursing  had  been  stimulated  both  by  the  war 

284 


and  by  the  epidemic,  and  perhaps,  in  a  slight  measure, 
through  the  efforts  of  the  Woman's  Committee  of  the  Council 
of  Defense  to  enlist  public  interest  in  nursing  problems. 
The  bill  in  question  had  not  been  enacted  at  the  time  the 
activities  of  the  Committee  ceased. 

Realizing  that  the  epidemic,  like  every  other  great  disaster, 
would  leave  much  suffering  in  its  trail,  an  advisory  council 
was  appointed  to  carry  out  the  plan  for  medical  social 
service  as  drawn  up  at  Mrs.  Thayer's  request  by  Miss  Ida 
M.  Cannon  of  the  Committee.  Miss  Edith  N.  Burleigh, 
superintendent  of  the  Girls  Parole  Department,  was  loaned 
to  take  charge  of  the  work.  District  supervisors,  all  highly 
grained  social  workers  loaned  by  various  agencies,  were 
placed  in  the  eight  health  districts  of  the  State,  the  first 
approach  to  each  district  being  made  through  the  district 
health  officer.  The  supervisors  quickly  determined  the 
need  in  their  respective  districts,  and  whether  there  was 
any  possibility  of  its  being  met  through  local  resources. 
This  often  resulted  in  a  request  for  a  certain  type  of  worker 
to  stay  long  enough  on  the  local  job  to  help  develop  a  good 
working  plan.  The  supervisors  also  visited  123  cities  and 
towns  of  the  354  in  the  State,  and  found  that  the  emergency 
was  adequately  met  in  43,  but  only  partially  in  37.  There 
appeared  to  be  distinctly  inadequate  leadership  in  11,  and 
no  community  organization  at  all  in  14.  In  the  majority  of 
instances  the  local  board  of  health  was  the  prominent  factor 
controlling  treatment  and  relief;  in  others,  the  Red  Cross 
and  Committee  on  Public  Safety  had  charge.  Thirty-seven 
of  the  towns  had  district  nursing  organizations.  In  27, 
emergency  hospitals  had  been  opened.  In  30  or  more 
instances  the  district  supervisor  was  the  direct  means  of 
consolidating  community  forces. 

Social  Service 

At  the  Committee's  request  a  short  course  for  social 
service  workers  was  held  at  the  School  of  Social  Work 
(Simmons  College)  in  the  summer  of  1918,  case  work  being 

285 


provided  in  connection  with  it.  This  was  done  in  conjunction 
with  the  Red  Cross  and  other  war  service  organizations,  and 
made  a  definite  appeal  to  those  who  wished  to  uphold  peace- 
time agencies. 

Conferences  were  held  in  regard  to  the  possibility  of 
increasing  the  attendance  at  meetings  of  the  Massachusetts 
State  Conference,  and  extending  that  body's  influence.  Upon 
the  advice  of  leading  social  workers  it  was  decided  to  put 
to  one  side,  for  the  time,  at  least,  the  question  of  federating 
charities,  both  as  to  their  functions  and  their  finances.  A 
plan  for  a  social  service  bureau  was  considered,  and  a  survey 
prepared  by  Mrs.  Harvey  N.  Davis,  but  this  was  not  acted 
upon  because  of  the  efficient  work  of  the  bureau  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  and  that  of  the  Special  Aid  for  American 
Preparedness  societies,  both  of  which  were  in  a  position  to 
extend  their  work  among  peace-time  social  agencies. 

Two  conferences  with  city  and  town  representatives  of 
the  Council  of  National  Defense  were  held  to  discuss  plans 
and  procedure.  Several  cities,  among  them  Cambridge  and 
Newburyport,  had  already  appointed  women  to  represent 
this  department  of  women's  work.  With  these  exceptions 
it  was  decided  that  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  have 
special  representatives,  but  that  local  work  should  be 
handled  through  town  and  city  chairmen.  Thanks  to  the 
latter's  splendid  co-operation  this  arrangement  proved  most 
successful. 

Two  large  and  inspiring  meetings  were  held  at  the  State 
House  in  connection  with  the  nursing  drive.  In  addition, 
the  Council  of  National  Defense  arranged  for  addresses  to 
be  given  at  many  meetings  elsewhere. 

The  Committee  was  very  grateful  to  the  late  Mrs.  Harvey 
N.  Davis  and  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Andrews  for  their  valuable 
work  as  secretaries.  Mrs.  Mead's  task  as  chairman  and 
directing  influence  in  administering  the  Committee  for  the 
Maintenance  of  Existing  Social  Agencies  involved  peculiarly 
difficult  problems,  the  satisfactory  solution  of  which  is  the 
best  evidence  of  her  success. 

286 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  ARMY  AND   NAVY  YARN  SHOP  COMMITTEE 

Mrs.  A.  C.  Ratshesky,  Chairman. 


Miss  Katharine  Endicott. 
Mrs.  Walter  Hunnewell,  Jr. 
Mrs.  W.  S.  Patten. 


Mrs.  James  •'.  Phelan. 

Miss  Rosalind  Wood. 


This  enterprise  was  under  the  auspices  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Committee  on  Public  Safety,  in  co-operation  with  the 
JVIassachusetts  Woman's  Council  of  National  Defense,  and 
was  opened  for  business  on  November  17,  1917.  Its  pur- 
pose was  to  give  the  public  an  opportunity  to  buy  the  highest 
grade  yarns  at  wholesale  prices,  provided  those  purchasing 
agreed  to  send  the  article  made  therefrom  directly  to  the 
boys  overseas  or  in  the  camps,  independently  of  the  Red 
Cross  or  any  other  organization. 

When  the  subject  first  came  under  consideration  by  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  Mr.  P.  A.  O'Connell  and  Mr. 
George  W7.  Mitton  were  requested  to  serve  as  a  sub-com- 
mittee to  co-operate  with  members  of  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  to  assist  in  installing  and  organizing  the  shop, 
but  Mr.  Mitton's  other  work  in  behalf  of  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  caused  the  greater  part  of  the  organizing  to 
devolve  upon  Mr.  O'Connell.  The  shop  was  located  in  the 
Little  Building  on  Tremont  Street,  and  was  given  rent  free 
through  the  courtesy  and  generosity  of  Mr.  John  Mason 
Little.  Mr.  O'Connell  arranged  to  have  a  temporary  floor 
laid  in  the  store,  and  also  to  have  all  the  fixtures  built 
suitable  in  size  for  capable  and  efficient  handling  of  a  general 
yarn  business.  He  also  arranged  for  publicity  work  in  con- 
nection with  the  enterprise,  and  for  signs  in  and  outside  of 
the  building,  besides  organizing  an  adequate  mail  order 
system  for  taking  care  of  mail  orders  in  the  various  cities 
and  towns  of  the  Commonwealth.    Furthermore,  he  supplied 

287 


several  of  his  own  employees  to  overlook  the  business  and 
give  their  help  until  such  time  as  it  was  properly  organized 
and  a  going  concern,  when  it  was  taken  in  charge  by  the 
Committee.  The  yarn  sold  for  about  $2.70  to  $2.80  per 
pound,  the  prevailing  price  for  the  same  grade  in  the  retail 
stores  being  about  $4  a  pound.  A  condition  precedent  im- 
posed on  any  one  applying  for  the  yarn  was  to  sign  a  pledge 
card  to  the  effect  that  the  article  made  would  be  given  to 
some  one  serving  in  the  army  or  navy.  Each  of  the  six 
ladies  comprising  the  Committee  took  charge  of  the  shop 
for  one  day  during  the  week,  and  was  responsible  for  securing 
eight  or  ten  volunteers  to  sell  the  yarn  on  that  day.  Practi- 
cally the  only  paid  workers  were  one  head  saleswoman  and 
two  cashiers.  The  furniture,  cash  register  and  other  neces- 
saries were  all  donated  free.  In  every  direction  the  under- 
taking met  with  the  most  generous  sympathy  from  the 
public. 

The  co-operation  of  the  metropolitan  chapter  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  also  aided  materiallv  towards  the  success 
of  the  shop.  It  furnished  its  own  representative  to  assist  in 
selling  the  yarn,  as  well  as  giving  printed  directions  and 
infonnation  for  the  proper  knitting  of  the  garments.  Samples 
of  finished  articles  were  always  on  exhibition. 

One  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  yarn  —  khaki,  gray  and 
natural  wool  -  -  were  contracted  for  by  Mr.  A.  C.  Ratshesky 
at  a  very  much  lower  rate  than  the  market  price,  through 
the  courtesy  and  patriotism  of  Mr.  William  M.  Wood,  presi- 
dent of  the  American  Woolen  Company.  After  the  shop 
was  once  started  its  entire  management  came  under  the 
direction  of  Mrs.  Ratshesky,  who  day  and  night  was  unre- 
mitting in  her  painstaking  interest  in  conducting  its  affairs. 

When,  by  a  careful  accounting,  it  was  found  on  closing 
the  shop  that  a  surplus  remained,  it  was  decided  to  divide 
this  amount  among  projects  of  a  similar  character,  such  as 
war  relief  agencies.  The  appended  report  shows  how  far 
the  surplus  was  disposed  of  up  to  the  time  the  shop  closed, 
as  well  as  the  amount  still  left  over. 

288 


This  last  balance  ($16,890.92)  was  later  put  into  the 
hands  of  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer,  Mrs.  A.  C.  Ratshesky  and 
Mrs.  Eugene  Endicott  as  trustees  to  expend  the  same  for 
similar  agencies,  in  accordance  with  a  vote  passed  by  the 
Committee  appointed  to  wind  up  and  liquidate  the  affairs 
of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  this  enterprise  gave  to  many  women 
who  otherwise  would  not  have  been  able  to  purchase  the 
necessary  material  with  which  to  make  sweaters,  gloves, 
wristers,  stockings,  mufflers,  etc.,  an  opportunity  greatly 
desired,  and  one  which  they  could  have  obtained  in  no 
other  way.  Their  gratitude  and  appreciation  more  than 
repaid  the  efforts  put  forth  in  their  behalf. 


Army  and  Navy  Yarn  Shop 

Receipts 

Sale  of  100,000  pounds  of  yarn,        .        .        .  $2.59,448  71 

Sale  of  burlap, 101  55 

Bank  interest  on  deposit, 591  01 


$200,141  27 


Expenditures 
Cost  of  100,000  pounds  of  yarn,  $230,109  40 

Expense  account, 

Salaries, 

Light  and  fixtures, 

Express  and  freight,    .        .        .  2,140  95 

Paper  and  twine, 

Telephone  and  telegraph,  . 

Insurance  and  advertising, 


232,250  35 


Net  profits, $27,890  92 


Contributions 


American  Red  Cross, 

101st  Auxiliary,    .... 

United  War  Work  Campaign,  . 


$5,000  00 
1,000  00 
5.000  00 


11,000  00 


Cash  on  hand  February  1,  1919, 


$16,890  92 


289 


CHAPTER  VII 

COMMITTEE  ON   EDUCATION 

At  the  request  of  the  Woman's  Committee  at  Washington, 
Mrs.  Thayer  appointed  as  chairman  of  her  Department  of 
Education  the  State  appointee  of  the  National  Association 
of  Collegiate  Alumna1,  Mrs.  Sumner  B.  Pearmain  of  Boston, 
who  secured  an  advisory  board  or  committee,  consisting  of 
the  president  and  deans  of  women's  colleges,  besides  others 
well  known  in  educational  work  in  the  State,  as  follows :  — 

Miss  Sarah  L.  Arnold,  Dean  of  Simmons  College. 

Miss  Bertha  M.  Boody,  Dean  of  Radeliffe  College. 

Miss  Ada  L.  Comstoek,  Dean  of  Smith  College. 

Miss  Frances  G.  Curtis,  Boston  School  Committee. 

Miss  Caroline  S.  Davies,  Dean  of  Jackson  College. 

Miss  Florence  Jackson,  Appointment  Bureau,  Women's  Educational  and 
Industrial  Union. 

Mrs.  Lee  S.  McCollester,  President,  Boston  Branch  of  the  Association  of 
Collegiate  Alumna?. 

Miss  Ellen  F.  Pendleton,  President  of  Wellesley  College. 

Miss  Eva  Gowing  Ripley,  Department  of  Education,  Massachusetts  Fed- 
eration of  Women's  Clubs. 

Mrs.  William  Morton  Wheeler,  Women's  Municipal  League. 

Miss  Mary  P.  Winsor,  Director,  Winsor  School,  Brookline. 

Miss  Mary  E.  Woolley,  President  of  Mount  Holyoke  College. 

Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer,  ex  officio. 

After  many  weeks  of  correspondence,  local  chairmen  were 
placed  in  most  of  the  towns  and  cities  in  the  Commonwealth, 
more  than  half  of  whom  were  members  of  school  boards. 
The  rest  were  college  graduates  or  women  willing  to  under- 
take such  educational  propaganda  relating  to  the  war  as 
the  Washington  Committee  indicated  to  be  the  special  busi- 
ness of  the  Department  of  Education. 

Members  of  the  Advisory  Committee,  individually  and 
collectively,  gave  much  valuable  time  and  thought  to  the 

290 


best  method  of  conducting  a  war  educational  campaign. 
The  college  officials  serving  on  the  Committee  made  every 
effort  to  secure  from  their  alumnae  recruits  for  the  Army 
School  of  Nursing,  and  to  offer  in  their  colleges  the  extra 
curriculum  courses  required  by  the  exigencies  of  the  war. 

One  of  the  college  presidents,  Miss  Woolley,  prepared  a 
circular  appeal  to  students,  urging  them  to  remain  at  school 
as  a  patriotic  duty.  Another  member,  Miss  Jackson,  ob- 
tained for  the  Committee's  use  a  similar  appeal  written  by 
an  undergraduate  of  Smith  College.  A  third,  Miss  Winsor, 
took  the  lead  in  compiling  a  patriotic  reading  list,  entitled 
"Patriotism,  Internationalism  and  the  Great  War,"  which, 
with  permission  of  officials  of  the  New  York  Library,  was 
issued  by  the  Committee  as  a  supplement  to  the  New  York 
library  list,  entitled  "Patriotism."  In  September,  1917, 
President  Pendleton  sent  a  personal,  signed  appeal  to  all 
Wellesley  alumnae  in  behalf  of  the  need  for  nurses.  All 
members  of  the  Committee  took  an  active  interest  in  an 
effort,  suggested  by  Mrs.  Thayer,  to  have  the  Harvard 
Medical  School  open  to  women  on  the  same  terms  as  to 
men.  Much  time  was  spent  in  preparing  a  petition  to  the 
President  and  Fellows  of  Harvard  University,  to  which  were 
appended  the  signatures  of  well-known  educators,  men  and 
women,  not  only  in  Massachusetts,  but  in  the  cities  of  New 
York,  Washington,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  and  at  Columbia, 
Wisconsin,  Brown,  Vassar  and  Bryn  Mawr.  A  letter  from 
President  Lowell  of  Harvard  University  to  Mrs.  Thayer 
acknowledged  the  receipt  of  the  petition,  and  stated  that  it 
would  have  very  earnest  consideration,  and  a  special  Com- 
mittee was  appointed  by  the  college  for  this  purpose. 

In  the  name  of  the  Advisory  Committee,  a  number  of 
circular  letters  and  questionnaires  were  sent  to  the  350  local 
representatives,  asking  their  co-operation:  first,  to  secure 
patriotic  speakers  for  the  schools;  second,  to  place  the  Com- 
mittee's patriotic  reading  list,  appeals  to  students,  war 
pamphlets  and  other  literature  in  schools,  public  libraries, 
current  events  classes,  and  with  individuals  living  in  sparsely 

291 


settled  communities;  and  third,  to  combine  organized  forces 
for  a  campaign  of  patriotic  education  according  to  the  needs 
of  the  community,  and  for  that  end  to  use  local  four-minute 
speakers  and  other  speakers  furnished  free  of  charge  by  the 
Speakers'  Bureau  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety;  also 
government  films,  posters  and  State  Food  Exhibits. 

In  order  to  mobilize  all  available  forces  of  college  women 
in  the  State,  the  Department  of  Education,  with  the  full 
co-operation  of  Mrs.  Thayer,  prepared  and  issued  during 
the  third  week  in  September,  1918,  a  very  carefully  worded 
questionnaire  to  about  8,000  college  graduates,  asking  for  a 
record  of  their  war  work  to  date,  and  of  the  work  they 
would  be  willing  to  undertake  the  following  year,  at  home  or 
abroad,  along  the  lines  required  by  the  various  State  and 
United  States  war  agencies.  Owing  partly  to  the  influenza 
epidemic,  but  also  to  the  sudden  termination  of  hostilities, 
only  2,000  cards  were  filled  in  and  returned.  Of  these,  1,700, 
representing  some  225  towns,  were  filed  with  metal  clips  of 
different  colors  showing  the  different  kinds  of  service  avail- 
able under  the  headings  Agriculture,  Americanization,  Child 
Welfare,  Community  Singing,  Education,  Food  Conserva- 
tion, Liberty  Loan,  Health,  Red  Cross  and  Allied  Relief, 
Social  and  Recreational  Service  and  Miscellaneous.  Long 
lists  of  workers  were  furnished  from  these  cards  to  the  Red 
Cross  for  use  in  its  various  departments  of  civilian  relief, 
and  for  canteen  workers  at  home  and  abroad ;  to  the  Bureau 
of  Immigration  for  its  work  in  Americanization;  to  the 
Committees  responsible  for  the  United  War  Work  Campaign 
and  the  Liberty  Loans;  to  the  Farm  and  Garden  Associa- 
tion; to  the  Child  Welfare  Committee;  to  the  Committee 
on  Community  Singing;  and  to  Mrs.  Wheeler's  Committee 
on  Retail  Food  Prices.  In  addition,  lists  of  college  graduates 
willing  to  undertake  the  required  training  or  already  trained 
as  nurses,  and  of  psychiatric  social  workers  and  recon- 
struction aides,  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  officials  directly 
concerned. 

Altogether,  during  the  year  and  a  half  of  its  existence,  the 

292 


Department  of  Education  distributed  to  its  local  chairmen, 
to  public  and  private  schools  outside  of  Boston,  to  public 
libraries,  and  to  many  organizations  and  individuals,  printed 
matter  consisting  of  34,150  copies  of  circular  letters,  ques- 
tionnaires and  cards.  These  included  pamphlets  on  "Appeal 
to  the  Patriotism  of  Students,"  "Patriotism,"  "Patriotism 
and  Internationalism  in  the  Great  War,"  "Government's 
War  Information  Series,"  "Suggestive  Outline  for  Study," 
'Truth  Teller,"  "Intercollegiate  War  Emergency  Record," 
explanatory  cards,  etc.  Much  of  this  literature  was  printed 
by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

Propaganda  for  a  potato  campaign  was  issued  in  April, 
1918,  by  Mrs.  Donald  of  the  Committee  on  Food  Conserva- 
tion to  the  local  chairmen  of  the  Education  Department, 
and  through  their  co-operation  was  widely  used  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  State. 

The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Department  of  Educa- 
tion assumed  nearly  all  the  expenses  incident  to  its  activities. 


293 


CHAPTER  VIII 

COMMITTEE  ON   WOMEN   IN   INDUSTRY 

Mrs.  "William  A.  Troy,  Chairman. 
Mrs.  George  T.  Rice,  Vice-Chairman. 
Miss  Veronica  A.  Lynch,  Secretary. 


Miss  Mary  Donovan. 
Miss  Mabel  Gillespie. 
Miss  Mary  A.  Mahoney. 


Miss  Mary  Meehan. 
Miss  Mary  E.  Wiggin. 


The  National  Committee  on  Women  in  Industry,  with 
affiliated  State  branches,  was  created  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Gompers,  president  of  the  American  Federation  of  Labor,  as 
part  of  his  Committee  on  Labor  advisory  to  the  Council  of 
National  Defense.  The  Massachusetts  division  also  became 
a  component  part  of  the  Massachusetts  Woman's  Com- 
mittee, of  which  Mrs.  Thayer  was  chairman. 

The  purpose  of  the  Committee  on  Women  in  Industry 
was  to  safeguard  the  welfare  of  women  workers  and  minor 
children;  to  maintain  the  industrial  standards  established 
for  their  benefit;  and  to  concern  itself  with  the  conserva- 
tion of  their  health  and  industrial  interests. 

The  task  proved  twofold,  —  it  was  necessary  to  urge  the 
entrance  of  women  into  industry  as  its  man  power  decreased ; 
and  it  was  likewise  essential  to  prevent,  so  far  as  possible, 
the  exploitation  of  women  under  the  guise  of  war  necessity. 

To  accomplish  its  duties  the  Committee  maintained  a 
close  relationship  with  State  and  civic  bodies  which  had 
already  been  engaged  in  advancing  and  protecting  the  wel- 
fare of  the  worker. 

As  part  of  the  national  organizations,  the  Massachusetts 
Committee  operated  to  maintain,  under  the  following  heads, 
certain  standards  to  govern  the  employment  of  women  in 
industry,  which  were  endorsed  by  the  War  Labor  Policies 
Board :  — 

294 


Hours  of  labor. 

Daily  hours. 

Half  holiday  on  Saturday. 

One  day  of  rest  in  seven. 

Time  for  meals. 

Rest  periods. 

Night  work. 

Equality  with  men's  wages. 

The  basis  of  determination  of  wages. 

Comfort  and  sanitation. 


Posture  at  work. 
Safety. 

Conditions  needing  correction. 
Prohibited  occupations. 
Uniforms. 
Home  work. 

Employment  management. 
Co-operation  of  workers  in  enforce- 
ment of  standards. 
Co-operation  with  official  agencies. 


Through  the  medium  of  the  press  and  addresses  delivered 
before  public  and  private  gatherings  by  the  chairman  and 
vice-chairman  of  the  Committee,  diligent  effort  was  made 
to  bring  the  rules  adopted  for  each  standard  to  the  attention 
of  employers  and  the  public  in  general. 

After  the  formation  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee,  the 
first  work  that  came  to  hand  was  an  investigation  into  the 
employment  of  girls  as  messengers.  It  was  disclosed  that 
cases  existed  where  girls  under  eighteen  years  of  age  were 
engaged  in  carrying  messages  during  the  daylight  hours.  In 
order  to  prevent  the  general  employment  of  young  girls  in 
this  capacity,  the  Committee  obtained  a  ruling  from  the 
State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries  prohibiting  the  employ- 
ment of  female  minors  as  messengers. 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  Committee,  the  Building 
Managers'  Association  determined  to  send  representatives 
to  meet  those  of  the  women  employed  as  office  building 
cleaners  before  the  Massachusetts  Minimum  Wage  Com- 
mission, in  order  to  reach  a  wage  agreement. 

One  of  the  first  occupations  in  which  women  took  the 
place  of  men  soon  after  the  United  States  declared  war  was 
the  elevator  service.  This  work  was  easy  to  learn,  and 
although  its  scale  of  wTages  had  never  been  high,  substitu- 
tion was  not  difficult.  The  then  existing  labor  laws  of  the 
State  did  not  limit  the  working  hours  of  women  thus  em- 
ployed in  hotels  and  office  buildings.  To  meet  this  deficiency, 
a  bill  was   drafted  bv  the   Committee  to   include  women 


295 


elevator  operators  under  the  provisions  of  the  fifty-four-hour 
law.  The  bill  became  a  law  on  May  12,  1918,  chapter  147, 
General  Acts. 

The  increase  of  women  in  industrial  occupations  necessi- 
tated, in  the  opinion  of  the  Committee,  an  addition  to  the 
number  of  inspectors  employed  by  the  State  Board  of  Labor 
and  Industries.  A  special  message  was  sent  by  the  Gov- 
ernor to  the  Legislature  in  regard  to  the  advisability  of 
appointing  additional  inspectors,  and  the  chairman  of  the 
Committee  appeared  before  the  legislative  committee  on 
public  service,  urging  the  passage  of  a  bill  filed  for  that 
purpose.  As  a  result  of  this  hearing,  five  additional  inspectors 
were  granted  to  the  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industry. 

In  conformity  with  one  of  the  principles  set  forth  in  the 
standards  of  employment  advised  by  the  Committee,  at  a 
hearing  before  the  Committee  on  Social  Welfare  the  Com- 
mittee recorded  itself  in  favor  of  a  forty-eight-hour  week 
for  women  and  minors. 

In  company  with  representatives  of  the  Massachusetts 
War  Efficiencv  Board,  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  made 
a  trip  through  the  State,  so  as  to  express  to  county  farm 
agents  and  members  of  the  local  Public  Safety  Committees 
the  government's  ideas  relative  to  releasing  men  of  farm 
experience  in  mercantile  and  industrial  establishments, 
especially  at  planting  and  harvest  times.  Particular  stress 
was  laid  on  the  fact  that  in  order  to  secure  greater  food  pro- 
duction it  would  always  be  better  to  retain  men  of  experi- 
ence, rather  than  to  attempt  to  train  women  or  inexperienced 
men  in  farm  duties. 

In  some  cases  it  was  explained  that  lighter  farm  work 
could  be  done  by  women,  but  it  was  urged  that  all  heavy  work 
should  be  done  by  men,  as  women  are  physically  unfitted  to 
perform  heavy  farm  labor. 

In  order  to  fill  places  made  vacant  in  industrial  establish- 
ments by  releasing  labor  for  farm  work,  it  was  suggested 
that,  whenever  feasible,  processes  of  manufacture  be  adjusted 
so  as  to  make  the  substitution  of  women  possible. 

296 


The  Committee  also  collected  data  for  exhibits  concerning 
women  in  industry,  to  be  displayed  at  State  and  county 
fairs.  In  these  exhibits  the  Committee  advocated  a  system 
wherebv  the  attention  of  women  was  called  to  various  indus- 
trial  occupations  existing  in  the  Commonwealth,  together 
with  the  hours  of  labor,  wages  paid,  where  employment 
might  be  secured,  and  other  necessary  information  of  similar 
character.  In  addition,  the  prominent  display  of  the  adopted 
standards  relative  to  the  employment  of  women  workers 
was  requested  as  part  of  these  exhibits. 

A  recommendation  was  made  by  the  chairman  of  the 
Committee  to  the  Massachusetts  Community  Labor  Board, 
purging  that  the  employment  of  female  labor  might  also  come 
under  the  Board's  official  control,  as  otherwise  the  purpose  for 
which  community  labor  boards  were  formed  would  be 
defeated. 

Miss  Veronica  A.  Lynch  spent  ten  days  in  Washington 
obtaining  data  and  a  plan  to  assist  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Labor  Statistics  to  compile  a  description  of  the  character 
of  employment  in  rubber  manufacturing,  sugar  refining, 
machine  building  and  the  manufacture  of  soap,  —  all  Massa- 
chusetts industries,  or  closely  related  thereto.  The  object 
of  this  special  inquiry  was  to  facilitate,  where  most  needed, 
a  proper  and  equitable  distribution  of  the  labor  supply 
through  the  employment  service  of  the  United  States 
government. 

Because  of  the  increasing  number  of  women  having  small 
children  who  became  wage  earners  during  the  war,  the 
Committee  deemed  it  expedient  to  direct  attention  to  an 
intensive  study  of  the  day  nursery  problem.  Miss  Lynch 
and  Miss  Grace  M.  Caldwell  were  appointed  a  special  com- 
mittee to  conduct  an  investigation  of  the  day  nurseries  of 
the  State.  Their  preliminary  findings,  as  based  on  condi- 
tions found  in  the  nurseries  visited  between  August  21  and 
September  24,  1918,  —  at  which  time  they  were  obliged  to 
suspend  the  investigation  on  account  of  the  influenza 
epidemic,  —  showed  that  four  of  these  nurseries  were  closed 

297 


for  the  summer,  four  were  combined  nurseries  and  homes, 

—  with  the  home  the  biggest  factor  in  three,  —  and  in 
three  of  them  the  matrons  said  there  was  some  doubt  as  to 
their  operating  as  nurseries  in  1919. 

The  investigation  covered  a  period  of  about  two  and  one- 
half  weeks,  during  which  twenty-nine  out  of  the  fifty  nurseries 
in  the  State  were  visited.  After  a  general  summing  up  of 
the  conditions  found  in  twenty-one  of  these  nurseries,  the 
special  committee  submitted  for  consideration  the  following 
outstanding  facts :  — 

In  fourteen  of  the  nurseries  factory  work  was  the  pre- 
dominating occupation  of  the  mothers.  In  two  the  principal 
occupation  was  general  day  work,  cleaning,  etc.  In  five  the 
occupations  were  about  equally  divided  between  factory  and 
day  work. 

Necessity  seemed  to  be  the  principal  reason  for  these 
mothers  taking  up  work,  and  most  of  them  were  deserted 
wives  or  widows.  In  comparatively  few  instances  was  the 
reason  given  that  the  husband  had  entered  the  service. 
Many  applications  were  being  made  at  the  nurseries  by 
mothers  who  desired  to  work  because  they  were  attracted 
by  the  high  wages.  This  was  particularly  true  of  women 
who  were  entering  the  employment  field  for  the  first  time. 

Location.  —  In  regard  to  the  location  of  the  nurseries,  it 
was  noticed  that  the  majority  of  them  were  located  at  a 
considerable  distance  from  the  principal  industries.  For 
instance,  in  one  city  it  was  found  that  the  committee  operat- 
ing the  day  nursery  had  just  purchased  a  fine,  single-family, 
wooden  house  in  an  exceptionally  good  residential  district, 

—  an  ideal  location  for  the  nursery,  but  entirely  remote  from 
the  district  in  which  the  largest  industries  were  located.  In 
this  instance  the  nursery  was  at  one  end  of  the  city  and  the 
industrial  section  at  the  other. 

Statistics.  —  It  was  found  to  be  almost  impossible  to 
gather  satisfactory  statistics.  This  was  true  in  practically 
all  of  the  nurseries.  There  were  no  medical  or  family  records, 
and  very  incomplete  records  of  attendance.    In  one  nursery, 

298 


just  as  the  investigators  were  about  to  leave,  a  man  came  to 
the  front  door  to  call  for  his  little  girl  to  take  her  home.  He 
did  not  speak  very  good  English,  and  it  was  difficult  for  him 
to  make  the  matron  understand  just  which  little  girl  was 
his.  It  was  not  very  hard  for  the  investigators  to  appreciate 
the  matron's  position,  when  she  said  that  a  strange  little 
girl  had  come  to  the  nursery  that  morning  with  some  other 
children,  and  she  had  not  taken  her  name,  but  supposed 
she  must  be  the  child  called  for.  Here  was  a  child  admitted 
without  any  medical  inspection,  with  no  investigation  into 
her  home  conditions,  and  with  not  even  her  name  asked 
when  she  was  brought  to  the  nursery  by  other  children. 

Fire  Protection.  —  In  most  of  the  nurseries  the  fire  pro- 
tection was  good. 

Toilet  Facilities.  —  Nearly  all  of  the  nurseries  had  adequate 
toilet  facilities,  though  not  all  were  in  good  condition.  A 
few  were  absolutely  unfit  for  use.  Some  were  in  good  re- 
pair, but  poorly  ventilated  and  not  clean.  In  one  nursery, 
where  toilet  facilities  of  the  newest  and  most  up-to-date  type 
had  but  lately  been  installed,  a  very  bad  odor  was  apparent. 

Medical  —  Hygienic  Conditions.  —  The  medical  inspection 
proved  to  be  inadequate.  Many  of  the  nurseries  did  not 
require  a  medical  certificate  before  admission.  Very  few 
had  daily  medical  inspection.  In  many  the  doctor  did  not 
come  unless  called.  Only  three  had  trained  nurses.  Two 
had  partially  trained,  or  so-called  "practical,"  nurses.  Six 
were  without  isolation  rooms  or  other  means  of  caring  for 
children  suffering  from  contagious  diseases. 

Very  few  provided  individual  face  cloths,  towels,  tooth- 
brushes or  combs,  and  in  some  instances,  where  individual 
towels  were  provided,  they  were  hung  so  close  together  that 
they  ceased  to  be  "individual." 

In  far  too  many  dry  sweeping  was  employed  as  a  method 
of  cleaning. 

Nineteen  took  in  infants  one  year  of  age  or  under. 

Diet.  —  Copies  of  the  diet  sheet  were  taken  wherever 
possible,  and  in  most  of  the  nurseries  there  appeared  to  be 

299 


a  real  effort  made  to  provide  proper  and  suitable  diet  for 
the  children. 

The  milk  supply  was  good,  some  milk  being  given  in  all 
but  two  nurseries.  One  bad  feature,  however,  seemed  to  be 
that  whenever  condensed  milk  was  given  to  infants  by  the 
mothers,  the  same  practice  was  carried  out  at  the  nursery. 
The  matrons  made  very  little  attempt  to  improve  on  the 
ignorance  of  the  mothers. 

After  a  careful  consideration  of  the  foregoing  facts,  it 
would  seem  that  the  inefficiencies  of  the  nurseries  were  due 
principally  to  a  lack  of  co-operation  between  boards  of 
management  and  matrons;  to  a  paucity  of  funds  to  run 
adequately;  and  to  want  of  training  on  the  part  of  the 
matrons. 

In  view  of  other  measures  before  the  Legislature,  looking 
to  the  reorganization  and  consolidation  of  various  State 
departments,  the  Committee  deemed  it  inexpedient  to 
petition  for  legislation  affecting  the  operation  of  day  nurseries 
in  the  State. 


300 


CHAPTER  IX 
COMMITTEE   ON   PUBLICITY 

Mrs.  Frederick  E.  Dowling,  Chairman. 
Miss  Grace  M.  Burt. 

Late  in  October,  1917,  Mrs.  Thayer  called  a  meeting  of 
the  newspaper  women  of  Boston,  together  with  representa- 
tives from  the  "Brockton  Times,"  "Salem  News,"  "New 
Bedford  Standard,"  "Springfield  Republican,"  'Worcester 
Telegram,"  "Lynn  Item,"  "Newton  Graphic,"  and  the 
press  department  of  the  State  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs. 
The  outcome  of  this  gathering  was  a  permanent  Publicity 
Committee,  each  member  of  which  was  pledged  to  further  by 
every  means  possible  the  work  of  the  Massachusetts  Woman's 
Division,  Council  of  National  Defense.  This  promise  was 
amply  fulfilled  during  the  succeeding  year  and  a  half. 

As  the  members  of  this  conference  were  all  dependent  on 
their  work  for  a  livelihood,  the  question  of  securing  a  volun- 
teer who  would  be  at  the  State  House  every  day,  in  order  to 
keep  closely  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  events,  became 
somewhat  of  a  problem.  This  situation  was  overcome  when 
the  State  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  lent  the  services  of 
Mrs.  Dowling,  who  was  joined  by  another  member  of  the 
Federation,  Miss  Burt  of  the  "Newton  Graphic."  Both  of 
these  ladies  gave  two  days  of  each  week  to  the  work,  and 
together  constituted  the  Committee.  As  a  result,  on  the 
first  Monday  in  November,  1917,  the  Women's  Publicity 
Committee  was  installed,  with  desk  room  in  Mrs.  Thaver's 
offices. 

The  first  work  of  the  Committee  was  a  circular  letter  to 
each  of  the  135  weekly  newspapers  in  the  State,  asking  for 
donations  of  space.  Of  these,  about  40  per  cent  at  once 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  many  more  eventually 
came  into  line;  so  that  before  the  midsummer  of  1918  news- 

301 


letters  setting  forth  the  more  urgent  work  of  the  Council 
were  given  every  Thursday  to  all  the  weeklies  in  Massa- 
chusetts. The  State  House  News  Service  was  the  medium 
through  which  most  of  the  semiweekly  suburban  and  Boston 
daily  papers  were  reached,  and  gave  excellent  service. 

Late  in  December  of  1917  the  "Boston  Advertiser- 
American,"  through  Miss  W.  M.  Jerdone,  sent  word  that 
the  columns  of  its  Sunday  and  daily  editions  were  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Committee.  This  gave  an  opportunity  to 
put  into  practice  a  hope  which  Mrs.  Thayer  had  entertained 
of  having  an  allotted  space  in  some  Boston  Sunday  paper, 
where  the  more  important  matters  of  each  sub-committee  of 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  women's  committees  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defense,  State  Food  Administration, 
State  Home  Economics  Department,  and  Fuel  Administration 
might  be  placed  before  the  public  under  the  signature  of 
the  heads  of  the  various  Committees.  The  "Advertiser- 
American  "  welcomed  this  suggestion,  and  a  plan  was  mapped 
out  for  a  half  page  insertion  in  the  next  issue,  Sunday, 
July  13,  1918.  All  subsequent  issues  were  arranged  and 
edited  by  Mrs.  Dowling,  as  chairman. 

As  the  work  developed,  it  became  evident  that  a  State- 
wide publicity  organization  was  needed  to  secure  an  out- 
let in  the  country  weeklies  for  the  great  mass  of  news 
matter  received  daily  from  Washington.  Mrs.  Thayer 
authorized  the  Committee  to  communicate  with  the  women 
county  food  administrators,  and  to  ask  for  suggestions  as 
to  the  choice  of  county  publicity  chairmen.  These,  when 
appointed,  in  turn  chose  assistants  in  every  town  where  a 
paper  was  published,  thereby  obtaining  a  local  and  a  wide- 
spread personal  interest  towards  securing  publicity  for 
important  projects.  The  plan  proved  of  great  value  a  little 
later  in  obtaining  full  publicity  during  the  great  drive  for 
nurses,  the  purpose  of  which  was  to  recruit  2,000  women  for 
the  hospital  training  schools.  It  called,  however,  for  stren- 
uous effort  at  a  time  when  world-thrilling  news  coming  from 
the  European  war  front  crowded  all  else  from  the  newspapers, 

302 


the  size  of  whose  editions  had  been  reduced  by  government 
orders;  yet  the  Publicity  Committee  secured  sixteen  different 
notices,  varying  in  length  from  a  "stick"  or  two  to  a  column 
in  length.  Two  paid  front  page  advertisements  in  the 
"Herald"  and  "Transcript,"  and  another  in  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  "Current  Events,"  were  found  necessary,  but 
these,  with  certain  car  posters,  constituted  the  only  expense 
incurred  by  the  Committee,  outside  of  postage.  Both  the 
"Boston  Post"  and  the  "Transcript"  gave  editorial  space, 
and  the  country  weeklies  did  good  work  in  reaching  the 
more  remote  districts.  Mr.  Herbert  Carl,  New  England 
director  of  the  Associated  Press,  put  out  excellent  stories. 
'Fifteen  hundred  posters,  reading  "Join  the  United  States 
Nurse  Reserve,  Recruiting  Office,  Massachusetts  General 
Hospital,"  were  displayed  upon  electric  cars  in  Greater 
Boston.  Posters,  furnished  from  Washington,  were  placed 
in  all  railroad  stations  throughout  the  Commonwealth,  in 
many  of  the  large  department  stores  and  in  restaurants. 
Slides,  telling  of  the  drive  and  of  the  quota  that  Massa- 
chusetts was  asked  to  furnish,  were  displayed  each  night 
upon  the  screen  at  the  Food  Administration  cottages  on  the 
Common.  These  slides  were  also  exhibited  in  many  of  the 
moving-picture  houses  in  the  State. 

A  wheatless  food  demonstration  car  was  established, 
which  was  the  medium  of  disseminating  much  information 
on  food  matters.  The  car  was  on  exhibition  for  several  days 
in  Post  Office  Square,  and,  upon  permission  being  given  by 
the  Committee,  was  greeted  by  a  battery  of  photographers 
the  morning  of  its  first  arrival.  Unfortunately,  the  demon- 
stration assigned  for  that  day  to  the  kitchen  installed  upon 
the  front  platform  was  not  on  hand.  The  photographers 
insisted  that  only  "working"  pictures  would  be  acceptable 
to  the  city  editors,  and  that  "action"  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary. Fearing  the  loss  of  so  much  good  advertising  if  their 
request  was  not  fulfilled,  Mrs.  Dowling  donned  cap  and 
apron,  hastily  fashioned  from  paper  toweling,  and  imperson- 
ated the  demonstrator  at  work  among  the  kitchen  utensils, 

303 


with  complete  success.  The  electrotypes  of  these  pictures, 
as.  well  as  the  negatives,  were  given  by  the  papers  making 
them,  and  were  used  many  times  afterward  in  advertising 
the  coming  of  the  car  in  the  various  suburban  districts, 
while  the  Western  Newspaper  Union  gave  out  a  description 
story  in  advance. 

The  Publicity  Department  was  willing  at  all  times  to 
secure  every  possible  space  for  other  women's  organizations 
engaged  in  conservation  or  any  type  of  war  work.  Among 
the  outside  interests  served  were  the  Liberty  Bread  Shop, 
the  "Women's  National  Farm  and  Garden  Association,  the 
Women's  Land  Army,  the  Lowthorpe  School  of  Agriculture 
and  Farm  Management  for  Women,  and  the  Retail  Stores 
Clearing  House,  the  latter  a  branch  of  the  United  States 
employment  service. 

Upon  request  of  Mr.  Michael  M.  Davis  of  the  Boston 
Dispensary,  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  reviewed  his 
publication  entitled,  "Food  Supply  in  Families  of  Limited 
Means,"  and  also  secured  for  it  six  newspaper  notices,  in 
addition  to  a  column  story  with  seven  column  flare-head 
in  the  "Boston  American,"  written  by  a  member  of  its 
staff.  Mr.  Davis's  book  was  the  outcome  of  a  survey  made 
by  him  of  200  families  having  small  incomes,  and  the  relation 
of  the  food  actually  consumed  and  the  food  purchased  by 
them  in  one  week.  This  revealed  some  amazing  facts  in 
the  matter  of  thrift.  It  also  demonstrated  specifically  how 
for  the  same  amount  of  money,  better  expended,  more  nourish- 
ing food  could  have  been  procured.  The  pamphlet  had  the 
endorsement  of  the  Food  Administration,  and  was  considered 
to  be  of  much  value  to  social  workers  during  the  war.  The 
publicity  secured  for  it  by  the  Committee  created  a  demand 
for  copies  that  soon  exhausted  the  edition. 

Many  hours  each  week  were  spent  in  studying  the  exchange 
literature  from  other  States,  and  selecting  what  might  prove 
effective  for  use  in  Massachusetts.  The  bulky  news-letters 
that  came  almost  daily  from  all  departments  of  the  Council 
at  Washington  had  also  to  be  carefully  read,  and  excerpts 

304 


prepared  for  publication  in  the  State  press.  This  task  was 
probably  the  most  tedious  duty  of  the  Committee. 

Articles  descriptive  of  the  formation  and  functions  of  the 
Woman's  Division,  Council  of  National  Defense,  were  sup- 
plied to  the  bi-monthly  publication  of  the  League  for  Pre- 
ventive Work  upon  request,  and  reports  of  all  unusual  war 
work  in  Massachusetts  were  furnished  frequently  to  the 
Creel  Bureau,  the  Washington  News  Bureau  of  which  Miss 
Ida  Tarbell  was  in  charge,  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation, 
and  several  of  the  well-known  magazines. 

What  proved  of  special  value  as  a  means  of  promoting 
food  conservation  was  a  set  of  model  menus  of  church  suppers 
and  socials,  with  accompanying  recipes  issued  by  the  Com- 
mittee. These  were  printed  in  many  of  the  religious  publica- 
tions of  the  State.  These  menus  were  the  work  of  Mrs. 
Harriet  L.  K.  Darling,  attached  to  the  Home  Economics 
Department  of  the  State  Council.  Articles  on  home  eco- 
nomics were  also  written  by  the  chairman  and  printed  by 
the  "Boston  Herald."  The  work  of  the  Committee  often 
extended  far  outside  the  State,  when  requests  for  help 
demanded  it.  For  example,  a  call  came  from  the  Michigan 
State  College  to  furnish  a  collection  of  all  publications  regu- 
larly used  by  the  Publicity  Committee,  for  exhibit  at  the 
Farmers'  Week  Festival  in  that  State.  In  response,  copies 
of  the  "Sunday  Advertiser"  half  page,  the  weekly  news- 
letter, and  the  Food  Administration  bulletins  were  forwarded. 

The  last  but  not  the  least  of  the  activities  of  this  Com- 
mittee were  the  many  interviews  arranged,  or  refused,  for 
Boston  newspapers  with  the  chairman  of  the  Council,  Mrs. 
Thayer,  or  with  the  vice-chairman,  Mrs.  Gurney.  It  was 
always,  however,  a  matter  of  personal  gratification  to  the 
Committee  that  at  all  times  the  pleasantest  relations  existed 
between  the  Council  and  the  press.  Fair,  intelligent  and 
courteous  treatment  was  given  every  statement  issued  by 
the  Committee,  and  the  space  allowed  was  quite  as  generous 
as  conditions  permitted. 


305 


Part  V 


MASSACHUSETTS   FOOD   ADMINISTRATION 

CHAPTER  I 

Personnel  and   Introduction 

Federal  and  State  Food  Administrator  for  Massachusetts 
Henry  B.  Endicott. 

Assistant  Food  Administrators 
A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
James  J.  Phelan. 
Later  appointed :  — 
Z.  C.  Dickinson. 
H.  C.  Everett,  Jr. 
R.  M.  Everett. 
A.  A.  Kidder. 
Edward  Wigglesworth. 
John  D.  Willard. 

Federal  Home  Economics  Director  for  Massachusetts 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 

Board  of  Food  Administration 
Henry  B.  Endieott,  Chairman. 

A.  C.  Ratshesky,  V ice-Chairman. 
Philip  R.  Allen. 

Kenyon  L.  Butterfield. 

B.  Preston  Clark. 
Z.  C.  Dickinson. 
Mrs.  Malcolm  Donald. 
George  H.  Ellis. 
Warren  C.  Jewett. 

A.  Lawrence  Lowell. 
Matthew  Luce. 
George  H.  Lyman. 
Mrs.  Samuel  W.  McCall. 
George  W.  Mitton. 

30C 


J.  Frank  O'Hare. 
James  J.  Phelan. 
James  H.  Ropes. 
Joseph  B.  Russell. 
Paul  J.  Sachs. 
John  F.  Stevens. 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 
Mrs.  W.  M.  Wheeler. 
John  D.  Willard. 
Robert  Winsor. 

General  Officers 

Edmund  W.  Longley,  Treasurer. 
John  D.  WiUardj  Secretary. 
James  H.  Ropes,  Assistant  Secretary. 
Z.  C.  Dickinson,  Assistant  Secretary. 
Matthew  Luce,  Assistant  Secretary. 
Arthur  A.  Kidder,  Manager  of  Offices  and  Personnel. 
W.  A.  L.  Bazeley,  Former  Manager  of  Offices  and  Personnel  (in  Service). 
Levi  H.  Greenwood,  Former  Manager  of  Offices  and  Personnel  (in  Service). 
Thomas  J.  Moore,  Secretary  to  Mr.  H.  B.  Endicott  and  Manager  of  Ex- 
ecutive Office. 

The  history  of  the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration 
should  begin  with  the  work  of  the  Food  Production  Com- 
mittee of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 
During  the  latter  part  of  February,  1917,  at  the  suggestion 
of  the  Executive  Committee,  a  voluntary  Committee  on 
Food  Production  and  Conservation  was  organized,  which 
included  in  its  membership  leaders  of  agricultural  and  edu- 
cational organizations  in  the  State.  On  March  3  this  Com- 
mittee became  a  sub-committee  of  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety,  and  worked  as  such  up  to  the  time  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration,  and  there- 
after in  conjunction  with  and  as  a  part  thereof.  Through 
its  activities,  provisions  concerning  food  supply  were  included 
in  the  Commonwealth  Defence  Act  of  May  26,  1917  (chapter 
324,  General  Acts  of  1917). 

As  previously  stated,  on  July  11  Mr.  Hoover  requested 
Mr.  Endicott  to  act  as  his  representative  in  Massachusetts, 

307 


which  was  followed  by  his  official  appointment  immediately 
upon  the  passage  of  the  Federal  Food  Control  Act,  August 
10,  1917.  On  July  11  Governor  McCall  appointed  him 
State  Food  Administrator  for  Massachusetts. 

On  July  IS  Mr.  Endicott  named  a  Board  of  Food  Adminis- 
tration, largely  recruited  from  the  ranks  of  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety.  The  membership  of  the  Board  was  so 
selected  that  it  gave  representation  to  the  widest  possible 
range  of  interests,  —  banking,  manufacturing,  mercantile, 
labor,  professional  and  education,  —  including  representa- 
tives of  various  races  and  religious  denominations.  Every 
effort  was  made  to  provide  for  the  most  complete  preliminary 
consideration  of  problems,  in  anticipation  of  their  effect  on 
all  the  people  of  the  State. 

The  authority  of  the  Commonwealth  Defence  Act  with 
reference  to  food  supply,  and  the  powers  of  the  Federal 
Food  Control  Act  of  1917,  were  both  vested  in  Mr.  Endicott; 
and  by  reason  of  this  dual  authority  the  powers  of  the  Food 
Administrator  in  Massachusetts  were  ample  to  meet  all 
needs,  and  were  greater  than  those  exercised  by  similar 
officials  in  many  other  States. 

One  of  Mr.  Endicott's  first  steps  was  to  recommend  to 
Mr.  Hoover  the  appointment  of  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer  as 
home  economics  director  for  Massachusetts,  thus  continuing 
the  work  which  she  had  developed  as  State  chairman  of  the 
Woman's  Council  of  National  Defense,  and  also  the  work 
which  had  its  inception  in  the  Women's  Committee  on 
Food  Conservation  under  Dean  Sarah  Louise  Arnold,  this 
latter  Committee  having  been  appointed  by  the  Committee 
on  Food  Production  in  March,  1917. 

During  the  early  days  of  the  war,  food  production 
diminished  alarmingly  because  of  the  diversion  of  land,  men, 
horses  and  material  from  agricultural  pursuits  to  warfare. 
It  has  always  been  a  phenomenon  of  war  that  its  advent  is 
immediately  followed  by  a  diminution  of  food  production. 
Peculiarly,  in  modern  warfare,  the  same  materials  which 
normally   enter  into   the   manufacture  of    implements   and 

308 


fertilizers  are  in  great  demand  for  war  equipment  and  muni- 
tions. Moreover,  the  ploughman  and  the  plough  horse 
have  always  been  regarded  as  basic  material  for  army 
building. 

Owing  to  the  comparative  elasticity  of  our  use  of  food, 
and  to  the  fact  that  the  United  States  is  always  a  food 
exporting  Nation,  the  pressure  of  diminishing  food  supply 
was  not  immediately  manifested  in  the  United  States  by 
actual  shortage  of  commodities,  but  was  clearly  indicated 
by  the  sharp  rise  in  prices  caused  through  frantic  buying  in 
Our  markets  by  the  allied  powers.  "When  it  became  evident 
that,  the  United  States  was  destined  to  enter  the  war,  the 
possibility  of  world  famine  became  apparent  to  the  American 
people,  and  it  was  soon  evident  that  the  combined  food 
stocks  of  allied  countries  must  be  pooled  to  meet  allied 
needs.  An  inventory  of  the  world  food  stocks  showed  a 
dangerous  shortage.  The  carry-over  of  wheat  in  the  United 
States  from  the  yields  of  1916  had  indeed  provided  not  only 
all  supplies  necessary  for  domestic  use,  but  a  large  exportable 
surplus.  On  the  other  hand,  the  short  wheat  yield  of  1917 
left  little  exportable  surplus  at  the  precise  period  when  the 
armies  and  civil  population  of  Europe  were  making  the 
greatest  demands. 

Although  prices  of  foods  in  the  United  States  had  not 
advanced  bv  anv  means  as  thev  had  in  the  countries  actually 
at  war,  the  momentum  of  upward  movement  was  increasing. 
The  governments  of  the  world  were  paying  for  their  pur- 
chases in  the  American  cereal  markets,  first  with  gold,  then 
with  securities,  and  finally  with  credit  extended  to  them 
from  banking  sources  in  the  United  States.  After  our  entry 
into  the  war,  government  loans  still  further  enabled  the 
allied  countries  to  come  into  our  markets  and  bid  for  supplies 
with  credit  furnished  by  our  government.  This  resulted  in 
so  great  an  advance  in  the  price  of  wheat  that  in  May, 
1917,  operations  in  futures  on  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade 
were  stopped.  Wheat  had  reached  the  unheard-of  price  of 
•$3.28  per  bushel. 

309 


Early  in  the  year  1917  Mr.  Hoover  had  been  recalled  from 
Europe  to  advise  the  President  and  Congress  in  matters  of 
food  supply.  A  bill  providing  for  food  control  was  intro- 
duced and  was  before  Congress  for  consideration  in  May. 
For  various  reasons  the  passage  of  this  bill  was  delayed 
until  August  10;  but  in  the  meantime  Mr.  Hoover  was  re- 
quested by  the  President  to  go  as  far  as  possible  in  the 
preparation  of  an  organization  which  should  be  ready  for 
activity  as  soon  as  the  Food  Control  Act  became  law. 

The  Food  Administration  was  charged  by  this  act  with  a 
variety  of  duties.  It  was  to  regulate  exports  so  that  ade- 
quate supplies  should  be  left  in  this  country  for  the  use  of 
our  own  population;  to  arrange  for  an  equitable  distribution 
of  food  supplies  within  the  United  States,  so  that  all  sections 
should  have  food  stocks  adequate  for  the  people's  needs;  to 
check  speculation  and  profiteering  activities,  in  order  that 
such  supplies  as  were  available  might  reach  the  consumer  at 
as  low  cost  as  possible;  and  to  effect  prevention  of  waste, 
and  actual  conservation  of  stocks,  so  that  sufficient  supplies 
of  exportable  foods  should  be  available  for  the  feeding  of 
our  own  armies  abroad,  for  the  armies  and  civilian  popula- 
tion of  allied  countries,  and  for  the  relief  of  stricken  people 
in  the  war  zone.  The  Department  of  Agriculture  was  charged 
with  the  task  of  planning  for  the  stimulation  of  production, 
so  that  in  succeeding  seasons  production  of  essential  com- 
modities should  be  adequate  to  war-time  needs. 

The  problem  confronting  New  England  was  more  difficult 
than  that  of  other  parts  of  the  country  because  of  the  rela- 
tively small  food  production  compared  with  food  consump- 
tion, and  also  on  account  of  the  remoteness  of  New  England 
from  the  large  sources  of  supply,  and  its  dependence  on 
overburdened  transportation  systems.  Altogether,  New 
England  was  in  a  critical  situation  with  regard  to  her  food 
supply,  and  problems  of  provisioning  became  very  intricate. 
The  Atlantic  seaboard,  and  particularly  the  northern  ports, 
furnished  the  outlet  for  war  supplies  moving  toward  Europe. 
The  main  railway  lines  were  compelled  to  give  preference  to 

310 


such  export  commodities.  The  enormous  growth  of  indus- 
tries manufacturing  war  materials  added  a  further  burden 
to  the  railways.  The  very  condition  of  the  New  England 
transportation  systems  was  of  itself  a  menace,  as  the  chief 
railways  were  in  a  state  of  virtual  bankruptcy,  and  neither 
funds  nor  actual  supplies  were  available  for  rehabilitation. 
The  extreme  winter  of  1917-18  imposed  the  severest  task  of 
recent  years  on  all  transportation  systems.  Added  to  tin'-. 
the  withdrawal  of  coastwise  shipping  for  government  uses 
threw  upon  the  rail  systems  the  burden  of  an  enormous 
tonnage  normally  moving  by  water. 

From  the  first  the  policy  of  both  State  and  Federal  Food 
.Administrations  was  to  accomplish  the  utmost  possible  by 
gaining  voluntary  co-operation  of  the  entire  people,  especially 
of  the  food  handling  trades.  Mr.  Hoover  early  announced 
his  opposition  to  rationing  and  to  police  control  of  conserva- 
tion, contending  that  even  in  Germany  with  its  huge  police 
system  such  rationing  had  not  been  successful,  while  in 
allied  countries  the  success  of  conservation  had  been  in- 
versely proportioned  to  the  amount  of  police  interference. 
He  further  expressed  the  belief  that  the  rationing  of  house- 
holds was  inconsistent  with  the  habits  of  thought  and  with 
the  ideals  of  the  American  people,  and  that  therefore  every 
effort  should  be  made  to  secure  a  voluntary  rationing  by  the 
people  themselves.  Though  this  was  by  far  the  more  difficult 
course  from  the  standpoint  of  governmental  effort,  Mr. 
Hoover's  judgment  was  completely  vindicated  by  the  results. 
At  no  point,  even  in  the  most  intense  shortage  of  sugar,  did 
the  Food  Administration  establish  any  legally  effective 
system  of  rationing  for  householders;  and  in  the  case  of 
both  sugar  and  wheat  substitutes,  the  selfish  disregard  of 
Food  Administration  requests,  shown  by  a  few,  was  much 
more  than  offset  by  the  voluntary  efforts  of  that  great  ma- 
jority who  went  well  beyond  the  requested  measures,  and 
brought  about  a  total  saving  far  greater  than  would  have 
been  possible  by  a  mechanical  rationing  program. 

With  regard  to  the  food  handling  trades,  Mr.  Hoover's 

311 


principle  was  to  secure  the  data  concerning  available  stocks 
and  requirements  necessary  to  formulate  programs,  and 
then,  as  far  as  possible,  to  leave  actual  administration  in  the 
hands  of  the  trades.  Here,  again,  he  felt  that  to  secure  the 
voluntary  co-operation  of  the  majority  of  grocers,  bakers 
and  managers  of  eating  places  would  accomplish  more  than 
a  rigorously  enforced  system  of  policing.  As  time  passed, 
the  moral  support,  not  only  of  consumers  but  also  of  the 
great  majority  of  the  food  handling  trades,  was  achieved. 
Such  measures  of  prosecution  as  were  necessary  to  protect 
those  who  honestly  co-operated  from  the  unfair  competition 
of  those  who  selfishly  disregarded  regulations  met  with 
general  approval. 

In  matters  both  of  production  and  of  distribution  the 
economic  doctrine  of  the  Federal  Administration  was  clear. 
Men  will  not  continue  to  produce,  or  to  perform  the  functions 
of  distribution,  unless  by  so  doing  they  not  only  recover 
actual  costs,  but  receive  a  fair  return  on  their  efforts.  In 
all  contracts  for  supplies  and  for  construction  work  the 
government  recognized  the  principle  of  adequate  return  to 
those  with  whom  it  contracted.  This  same  policy  was 
carried  over  into  the  food  production  and  distribution  pro- 
grams, and  guaranteed  prices  on  wheat  and  hogs  secured 
the  desired  results  in  the  form  of  increased  production  of 
these  commodities.  Likewise,  in  the  food  distribution 
trades  it  was  held  that  the  only  way  to  secure  results  was  to 
permit  the  usual  handlers  of  food  to  take  reasonable  and 
equitable  profits  for  the  services  which  they  performed.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  intent  of  the  Food  Administration  was 
equally  clear  cut  with  regard  to  profiteering  and  speculation. 
Speculation  in  the  necessaries  of  life  is  doubly  reprehensible 
in  war  time.  Petty  profiteering  in  peace  time  is  limited, 
because  the  buyer  usually  has  an  opportunity  to  trade  with 
competing  establishments  where  prices  are  more  reasonable. 
In  war  time,  and  with  a  very  much  higher  level  of  prices,  it 
becomes  a  distinct  menace.  To  control  these  evils  the 
Food  Control  Act  made  possible  the  licensing   of   dealers, 

312 


and  the  licensing  power  was  speedily  brought  into  play. 
All  rules  and  regulations  concerning  trade  were  formulated 
by  the  Federal  Food  Administration  on  a  national  basis, 
with  such  regional  modifications  as  were  necessary.  The 
function  of  the  State  Administration  was  to  make  these 
rides  effective,  and  to  be  the  medium  of  information  as  well 
as  the  enforcing  agent. 

Far  more  important  than  the  regulatory  functions  were 
those  of  education  and  publicity.  It  was  the  belief  of  all 
concerned  in  Federal  and  State  Food  Administration  work 
that  if  the  people  of  the  United  States  were  once  given  the 
facts,  together  with  suggestions  for  meeting  the  emergency, 
their  response  would  be  prompt  and  adequate.  Particularly 
in  Massachusetts,  to  give  such  information  in  effective  form 
was  no  small  task.  With  a  dense  and  complex  population, 
much  of  which  reads  no  newspaper  in  English,  and  part  of 
which  is  absolutely  illiterate,  every  possible  device  became 
necessary  to  give  the  true  picture  of  conditions  in  Europe, 
and  to  present  the  program  of  the  Food  Administration  in 
such  compelling  form  that  compliance  would  be  ready  and 
willing. 

While  neither  phase  of  the  work  would  have  been  successful 
without  the  other,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the  educational 
and  appeal  work  by  itself  would  have  accomplished  more 
than  the  regulatory  work  alone.  As  the  program  was  de- 
veloped, the  two  phases  went  hand  in  hand,  and  by  securing 
the  voluntary  compliance  of  consumers  and  handlers  of 
food,  the  regulatory  work  was  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

In  both  Federal  and  State  Food  Administrations  every 
effort  was  made  to  avoid  the  evils  of  bureaucracy.  The 
administrators,  on  whom  responsibility  rested,  were  in  all 
cases  volunteers  recruited  from  the  most  capable  men  of 
the  entire  Nation.  Men  of  large  and  engrossing  business 
affairs  dropped  their  work  and  devoted  their  whole  time  to 
national  problems,  with  the  result  that  in  a  remarkably 
short  period  a  coherent  and  effective  governmental  depart- 
ment  was   built    up,    with   connections   reaching   from   the 

313 


Capitol  at  Washington  to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  Nation. 
This  entire  system  was  noticeably  free  from  the  deadening 
mechanical  influence  of  hired  service,  and  the  spirit  of 
intense  application  and  unstinted  effort  was  manifested  all 
along  the  line,  from  the  Chief  of  the  Administration  to  the 
clerks  in  Alaska  and  Hawaii.  The  authority  granted  to  the 
Food  Administration  was  sweeping,  and  was  justifiable  only 
as  a  war  emergency.  Because  of  this  fact,  it  was  from  the 
first  the  intent  of  the  Food  Administration  to  withdraw 
from  its  activities  as  soon  as  its  necessary  work  was  done. 
AVhile  Mr.  Hoover  saw  clearly  the  necessity  of  continuing 
food  conservation  during  the  period  immediately  following 
the  war,  he  early  expressed  the  belief  that  restrictions  and 
regulations  should  be  abolished  even  before  peace  was 
finally  concluded,  and  such  operations  as  continued  should 
be  restricted  to  appeal  for  voluntary  co-operation.  It  is 
significant  that  the  Food  Administration  dwindled  to  very 
small  proportions  immediately  after  the  signing  of  the 
armistice,  and  only  such  functions  were  continued  as  seemed 
necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  people  against  the  grosser 
forms  of  profiteering  and  speculation. 

The  staff  of  the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration  was 
at  its  largest  during  the  fall  of  1918.  Both  the  central  office 
and  the  county  offices  were  overcrowded,  and  the  largest 
corps  of  volunteers  as  well  as  paid  workers  were  in  service 
during  this  period.  The  armistice  was  quickly  followed  by 
the  dissolution  of  the  sugar  staff.  From  that  time  the 
entire  force  diminished  rapidly.  On  January  1,  1919,  but 
34  were  left  on  the  pay  roll,  and  on  January  31  announce- 
ment was  made  through  the  press  that  the  work  of  the 
office  was  closed.  It  was  remarkable,  and  a  source  of  great 
satisfaction,  that  so  complete  an  organization  could  dis- 
appear so  quickly,  and  that  the  members  of  the  staff  so 
speedily  become  absorbed  again  in  peace-time  pursuits.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  was  admirable  that,  after  a  period  of  such 
stringent  regulation,  business  could  return  to  normal  con- 
ditions with  so  little  upset  and  disturbance. 

314 


Some  of  the  activities  of  the  Food  Administration  were 
continuous,  some  recurrent,  some  seasonal,  and  others  of 
such  a  nature  as  to  present  themselves  but  once  and  then 
disappear.  It  seems  unwise  to  relate  the  story  of  the  Food 
Administration  in  strict  chronological  sequence.  The  at- 
tempt is  rather  to  record  the  activities  of  different  committees 
and  divisions,  and  to  comment  on  various  other  matters 
which  were  taken  up  by  individuals  or  by  groups  without 
assignment  to  any  regular  division.  The  organization  grew, 
by  the  appointment  of  committees,  up  to  September,  1917. 
From  that  time  an  attempt  was  made  to  follow  the  divisional 
organization  of  the  Federal  Food  Administration,  so  that 
matters  might  move  through  similar  channels  both  in  the 
State  and  in  the  Federal  office,  and  that  contacts  with  the 
Federal  divisions  might  be  definite  and  complete. 

The  writer  embraces  this  opportunity  of  expressing  his 
obligation  to  Prof.  James  H.  Ropes  and  to  Mr.  John  D. 
Willard  for  their  help  in  compiling  the  data  of  the  Food 
Administration.  Because  of  Mr.  Ropes's  great  familiarity 
with  the  general  scope  and  detail  of  the  activities  of  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  his  courteous  assistance, 
readily  given  in  all  matters,  has  been  of  the  greatest  value. 


315 


CHAPTER  II 

FINANCES  AND  ORGANIZATION 

A.     Finances 

When  the  work  of  the  Food  Administration  first  developed, 
Mr.  Endicott  approached  the  Governor  and  Council  on  the 
question  of  accepting  Federal  aid.  It  was  decided,  however, 
that  inasmuch  as  Massachusetts  had  thus  far  paid  her  own 
bills,  it  would  be  better  to  continue  this  practice,  at  least  for 
a  time.  Federal  aid,  therefore,  was  not  accepted  until  the 
very  great  expansion  of  the  work  made  necessary  a  larger 
staff  and  much  greater  outlay. 

In  March,  1918,  arrangements  were  made  whereby  many 
of  the  central  staff  employees  were  placed  on  the  Federal 
pay  roll.  After  July  1  it  was  arranged  that  for  the  fiscal 
year  July  1,  1918,  to  June  30,  1919,  the  sum  of  $35,000 
should  be  available  from  Federal  sources  for  the  expenses 
of  the  central  office,  and  $36,000  for  the  county  offices. 

From  May,  1918,  when  orders  came  for  the  licensing  of 
manufacturers  using  sugar,  to  the  close  of  the  sugar  control 
work,  the  bills  incurred  by  the  Sugar  Division  were  paid 
from  funds  of  the  United  States  Sugar  Equalization  Board, 
and  were  not  charged  against  the  allotment  already  made 
for  the  Food  Administration.  The  same  was  true  of  the 
work  of  the  Food  Administration  Grain  Corporation  in 
purchasing  wheat  substitutes  in  New  England. 

To  summarize  the  division  of  expense,  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts  contributed  the  use  of  office  quarters,  and, 
through  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  all  of  the  expenses 
of  the  Food  Administration  up  to  April  1,  1918.  From 
that  time  on  the  State  contributed,  in  addition  to  rent,  a 
total  of  approximately  $150,000;  and  the  Federal  govern- 
ment about  $75,000,  including  payments  in  behalf  of  the 
Sugar    Equalization    Board    and    the    Grain    Corporation. 

316 


County  offices  were  as  a  rule  given  rent  free,  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  service  was  rendered  by  unpaid  volunteers. 

The  contribution  of  both  time  and  money  by  individuals 
connected  with  the  Food  Administration  can  never  be  com- 
puted in  dollars  and  cents.  Several  of  the  volunteer  workers 
paid  for  their  own  clerical  assistance,  and  numberless  inci- 
dental bills  were  met  from  private  pockets.  Many  persons 
on  State,  county  and  city  staffs  refused  to  submit  expense 
accounts  covering  their  necessary  telephone  tolls,  traveling 
expenses,  printing  supplies  and  the  like.  In  some  cases 
these  accounts  amounted  to  thousands  of  dollars. 


B.     County  Food  Administration  Division 

Philip  R.  Allen,  Chairman  of  County  Administrators. 
Matthew  Luce,  Secretary  of  County  Administrators. 
John  D.  Willard,  County  Information. 
Ellen  K.  Jones,  Clerk. 

County  Food  Administrators 

Barnstable,  Eben  S.  S.  Keith. 

Berkshire,  Frederick  G.  Crane. 

Bristol,  William  M.  Lovering. 

Dukes,  William  J.  Look. 

Essex,  James  C.  Poor. 

Franklin,  John  W.  Haigis. 

Hampden,  Horace  A.  Moses  and  Theodore  W.  Leete. 

Hampshire,  W.  M.  Purrington. 

Middlesex,  J.  Howell  Crosby. 

Nantucket,  Arthur  H.  Gardner. 

Norfolk,  Fred  B.  Rice. 

Plymouth,  C.  P.  Holland. 

Suffolk,  P.  A.  O'Connell. 

Worcester,  L.  H.  Buckley. 

Women  County  Food  Administrators 

Barnstable,  Miss  Elsie  Trabue. 
Berkshire,  Dr.  Mary  Anna  Wood. 
Bristol,  Mrs.  Charles  H.  L.  Delano. 
Dukes,  Mrs.  Norman  Johnson. 
Essex,  Mrs.  Richard  S.  Russell. 


317 


Franklin,  Mrs.  John  Wilson. 

Hampden,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Dwight  and  Mrs.  A.  C.  Dntton. 

Hampshire,  Mrs.  Clifton  Johnson. 

Middlesex,  Mrs.  George  Minot  Baker. 

Norfolk,  Mrs.  Eugene  Endicott. 

Plymouth,  Mrs.  J.  Harry  Poole. 

Suffolk,  Miss  Mary  A.  Barr. 

Worcester,  Miss  Helen  Hey  wood. 

Assistant  County  Food  Administrators 

Barnstable,  H.  V.  Lawrence. 

Berkshire,  Frank  H.  Cande  and  James  O'Brien. 

Bristol,  Merle  T.  Barker. 

Essex,  Albert  P.  Hubbard. 

Middlesex,  Charles  Burnham  and  Edward  Fisher. 

Plymouth,  W.  L.  Bragg. 

Suffolk,  W.  H.  Binnian. 

Worcester,  Albert  E.  Jewell  and  Ernest  S.  Reid. 

During  the  first  months  of  the  Food  Administration  work 
proper,  it  did  not  appear  necessary  to  extend  organization 
throughout  the  State.  Messages  which  required  publicity 
were  sent  broadcast  through  the  channels  of  the  Food  Pro- 
duction and  Food  Conservation  Committees,  and  the  local 
Committees  on  Public  Safety.  The  press  responded  gener- 
ously with  space.  With  the  formulation  of  a  more  definite 
program  in  September  and  October,  1917,  and  particularly 
when  the  licensing  of  handlers  of  foods  greatly  increased 
contact  with  local  dealers,  it  became  plain  that  local  centers 
were  needed. 

The  first  home-card  campaign  brought  up  the  problem  of 
delivering  a  message  to  every  householder  of  the  State. 
The  experience  of  the  Food  Production  Committee  had  shown 
the  use  of  county  committees,  to  which  the  responsibility 
for  town  committees  could  be  delegated.  Plans  for  district 
or  county  administrators  were  already  under  way  when, 
somewhat  later,  suggestions  came  from  Washington  con- 
cerning county  organization,  especially  called  out  by  the 
needs  of  western  States,  where  the  county,  rather  than  the 
township,  is  the  natural  unit. 

318 


The  chief  problem  was  the  choice  of  the  county  adminis- 
trators. As  finally  selected,  the  administrator  in  nearly 
every  county  was  a  banker  or  business  man  already  interested 
in  promoting'  farm  bureau  work.  In  but  one  county  did 
any  conflict  arise  between  production  and  administration 
groups,  and  here  the  difficulty  was  speedily  overcome.  In 
only  three  instances  was  the  appointment  declined  by  the 
person  first  approached,  and  in  each  of  these  cases  with 
sincere  regret. 

The  county  administrators  were  first  brought  together 
ea,rly  in  1918,  and  their  responsibilities  outlined.  They  were 
to  employ  such  assistance  as  they  needed,  hire  offices  if 
necessary,  and  otherwise  equip  themselyes  to  represent  the 
Food  Administration  in  their  respective  counties.  In  some 
counties  volunteer  assistants  were  given  the  immediate 
management  of  the  office,  leaving  a  general  supervision  to 
the  administrator.  Nearly  all  counties  had  a  staff  of  stenog- 
raphers, clerks  and  inspectors,  greatly  varying  in  size  in  the 
different  localities. 

It  soon  became  evident  to  the  county  administrators  that 
they  in  turn  must  decentralize  their  work.  In  cities  with 
over  100,000  population,  a  city  administrator  appointed  by 
the  county  administrator  became  responsible  for  many 
matters.  Most  of  the  county  administrators  appointed 
deputies  for  each  town  and  city,  and  upon  these  much  re- 
sponsibility devolved.  In  some  instances,  notably  in  Berk- 
shire, deputies  were  appointed  to  cover  districts  consisting 
of  several  towns. 

It  was  the  task  of  the  local  administrators  to  see  that  rules 
were  enforced,  that  educational  material  was  distributed, 
that  offenders  were  warned,  and,  if  possible,  persuaded  to 
obey  regulations,  and  that  persistent  offenders  were  sum- 
moned   before    the    countv    administration.      The    countv 

•   •  • 

administrators  were  the  court  of  appeal  for  the  town  adminis- 
trators. Some  of  them  sat  as  trial  judges,  putting  offenders 
on  probation,  placing  cases  on  file,  or  referring  them  to  the 
State  House  for  further  hearing  if  the  offense  was  serious 

319 


and  prosecution  necessary.  The  largest  practicable  measure 
of  responsibility  was  put  on  them. 

Wide  divergence  of  practice  would  have  developed  between 
the  counties  had  it  not  been  for  the  attendance  bv  adminis- 
trators,  at  weekly  (later  bi-weekly)  meetings  of  the  Board 
of  Food  Administration.  In  consequence  of  their  participa- 
tion, these  gatherings,  instead  of  being  meetings  for  executive 
business,  came  to  be  a  forum  for  the  discussion  of  problems, 
and  a  means  of  conveying  information  and  requests  to 
county  groups. 

With  the  dissolution  of  the  Sugar  Division,  the  chief 
troubles  of  the  county  administrators  ceased,  and  early  in 
December,  1918,  orders  were  given  to  disband  all  county 
staffs  so  that  all  county  expenses  should  cease  by  January 
1,  1919. 

The  county  officers  made  possible  direct  access  to  a  respon- 
sible source  of  information  for  householders  having  inquiries 
and  complaints,  as  well  as  direct  and  prompt  dealing  with 
handlers  of  food. 

Some  divergence  between  the  practices  of  counties  was 
discovered,  varying  conditions  prevailing  in  different  parts 
of  the  State.  Much  of  the  work  of  issuing  permits  for  the 
feeding  of  wheat  to  poultry,  for  the  milling  of  Massachusetts 
grown  wheat,  for  disposing  of  stocks  of  feedstuff s  accumu- 
lating through  diminished  demand,  and  for  the  purchase  of 
sugar  for  canning  purposes,  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the 
county  administrator.  One  large  piece  of  work  in  all  county 
offices  was  the  supervision  of  wheat  substitutes  and  sugar 
distribution. 

The  regular  correspondence  and  personal  consultation 
with  the  county  administrators  took  much  time  and  thought 
at  the  State  House.  By  the  method  finally  worked  out  as 
being  the  most  satisfactory,  county  letters  on  all  subjects 
were  addressed  to  a  single  secretary,  who  was  responsible 
for  getting  the  inquiries  promptly  answered  by  the  depart- 
mental officer  in  question. 

At  the  time  the  county  administrators  were  appointed, 

320 


women  county  administrators  were  also  assigned  for  house- 
hold conservation  work  under  the  leadership  of  Mrs.  Thayer. 
The  results  of  their  work  were  varied  and  important.  Can- 
ning kitchens  and  like  devices  were  arranged  with  the  aid  of 
the  home  demonstration  agents  of  the  farm  bureaus  and  the 
Agricultural  College.  The  knowledge  and  judgment  of  the 
women  administrators  was  invaluable.  It  was  later  notice- 
able that  in  counties  where  the  women's  food  work  had 
made  most  progress,  greater  assistance  was  more  immediately 
available  in  meeting  the  needs  of  the  influenza  epidemic,  and 
food  centers  and  canning  kitchens  were  readily  converted 
into  supply  depots  for  stricken  families. 

"Without  the  services  of  the  countv  administrators  the 
functions  of  the  Food  Administration  would  have  been 
seriously  hampered. 

Nor  can  too  much  credit  be  given  to  the  many  volunteer 
workers  in  counties,  cities  and  towns,  who  made  effective 
plans  arranged  in  the  Federal  and  State  offices  which  de- 
pended for  success  on  the  support  of  the  whole  body  of 
citizens. 

C.     Zone  No.  1  Organization 

A.    C.    Ratshesky,    Assistant    Food    Administrator    for    Massachusetts, 

Chairman. 
W.  L.  Putnam,  Secretary. 

H.  B.  Endicott,  Federal  Food  Administrator  for  Massachusetts. 
Frank  H.  Brooks,  Federal  Food  Administrator  for  Vermont. 
Huntley  Spaulding,  Federal  Food  Administrator  for  New  Hampshire. 
Dr.  Leon  B.  Merrill,  Federal  Food  Administrator  for  Maine. 
Alfred  Coats,  Federal  Food  Administrator  for  Rhode  Island. 

Recognizing  the  similarity  of  problems  confronting  the 
New  England  States,  and  the  necessity  for  close  co-operation, 
Mr.  Endicott  called  a  conference  of  New  England  Food 
Administrators  in  September,  1917.  This  conference  was 
not  for  the  purpose  of  initiating  particular  measures  so  much 
as  to  establish  a  mutual  acquaintance  with  the  various 
problems  of  the  administrators  in  the  different  States. 

321 


During  the  spring  of  1918  it  seemed  desirable  to  organize 
the  various  States  into  groups,  and  in  June,  1918,  Mr. 
Hoover  created  in  New  England  a  Food  Administration 
zone  similar  to  the  Grain  Corporation  zones  which  had  been 
established  for  some  time.  Precedent  for  the  creation  of  a 
food  zone  in  New  England  had  been  furnished  by  the  forma- 
tion and  effective  work  of  the  Federal  Milk  Commission  for 
New  England.  All  the  New  England  States,  excepting 
Connecticut,  comprised  the  first  food  zone,  and  consisted  of 
the  Food  Administrators  of  the  States  constituting  that 
zone,  of  a  representative  of  the  Grain  Corporation,  and  also 
of  the  Food  Administration,  in  Washington. 

At  the  first  meeting,  July,  1918,  the  plans  of  the  Milling 
Division  and  Grain  Corporation  for  distribution  of  grain  and 
substitutes  were  explained.  The  systems  for  local  distribu- 
tion of  flour  in  use  in  the  different  States  of  the  zone  were 
discussed,  and  also  the  method  of  handling  flour,  Indian  corn 
meal  and  other  grains  coming  from  the  local  mills.  The 
question  of  sugar  was  also  discussed,  particularly  with  refer- 
ence to  preserving  and  the  ways  it  was  being  handled  in 
different  States.  The  various  New  England  States  agreed 
that  milling  regulations  applying  to  corn  and  wheat  in  New 
England  would  work  great  injustice  to  the  farmers,  and,  by 
concert  of  action,  the  Federal  regulations  were  quietly  dis- 
regarded in  order  that  wheat  grown  in  the  zone  might  find 
its  way  to  human  consumption  rather  than  be  fed  to  animals. 
This  meeting  was  of  great  service  in  giving  the  State  Food 
Administrators  an  opportunity  to  receive  full  explanations 
of  the  plans  of  the  Food  Administration  at  Washington  and 
also  of  the  Grain  Corporation,  and  in  showing  the  local 
needs;  also  in  giving  the  administrators  an  opportunity  to 
get  together  and  exchange  ideas  as  to  the  best  way  to  carry 
out  the  policies  inaugurated  by  Mr.  Hoover.  It  likewise 
tended  to  avoid  unnecessary  differences  between  adjoining 
States,  and,  where  local  conditions  required  that  there  should 
be  a  divergence  of  opinion,  it  gave  opportunity  to  discuss 
the  reasons  for  the  same  so  that  harmony  might  prevail. 

322 


A  regular  meeting  day  was  fixed  for  the  third  Monday  in 
each  month.  A  second  meeting  was  held  in  August,  1918, 
and  a  third  meeting  in  October.  The  September  meeting 
was  given  up  because  of  the  fact  that  the  administrators  had 
recently  come  to  Washington  at  the  call  of  Mr.  Hoover, 
and  the  November  meeting  was  abandoned  because  of  the 
signing  of  the  armistice. 

At  the  August  and  October  meetings  the  sugar  question 
was  the  most  important  matter  discussed.  Representatives 
of  the  Sugar  Division  of  the  Food  Administration  at  Wash- 
ington attended  these  gatherings.  The  problem  of  obtaining 
supplies  for  New  England  during  the  winter  months,  and 
the    necessitv    of    accumulating    sufficient    food    stocks    in 

%j  CD 

December  to  carry  through  the  winter,  thus  avoiding  the 
transportation  difficulties  of  the  preceding  year,  were  brought 
to  the  attention  of  the  Washington  representatives,  and 
their  aid  and  suggestions  sought. 

Other  matters  to  come  before  the  zone  for  consideration 
were  the  various  changes  in  wheat  substitute  percentages; 
the  clean-up  of  wheat  substitutes  left  on  dealers'  hands  by 
changes  in  the  percentages;  the  reasonable  profits  which 
might  be  allowed  on  staple  groceries;  and  various  questions 
relating  to  the  storage  of  supplies. 

Mr.  Robert  S.  Scoville,  Food  Administrator  for  Connect- 
icut, and  the  administrators  of  adjoining  States  were  always 
invited  to  attend  the  meetings  of  Zone  No.  1,  and  were 
occasionally  present.  Similarly,  Mr.  Endicott  was  invited 
to  meetings  of  Zone  No.  2  in  New  York,  which  he  was 
unable  to  personally  attend,  but  was  represented  by  Mr. 
Putnam.  These  latter  meetings  were  similar  to  those  held 
in  Zone  No.  1,  and  Mr.  Putnam  was  able  to  report  to  Mr. 
Endicott  many  interesting  ideas  and  suggestions  brought 
out  at  the  meetings. 


323 


CHAPTER    III 

PRODUCTION 
(a)     Committee  on  Food  Production 

Immediately  after  the  organization  of  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety,  there  had  been  organized,  as  previously 
stated,  under  President  Kenyon  L.  Butterfield  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  College,  a  group  to  arrange  for  meet- 
ing food  supply  problems.  This  Food  Production  and  Con- 
servation Committee  became  a  part  of  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  on  March  3,  1917,  and  with  its  various  proj- 
ects was  transferred  to  the  Food  Administration  in  July. 
It  continued  work  until  the  armistice  was  signed,  and  was 
dissolved  on  December  20,  1918.  Its  functions  therefore 
embraced  two  phases:  first,  as  a  constituent  committee  of 
the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  and  later,  with  the  same 
chairman  and  a  somewhat  enlarged  membership,  as  a  com- 
mittee of  the  Food  Administration.  The  activity  of  the 
committee,  however,  was  in  the  main  continuous,  and  must 
be  described  by  topics  without  attempting  complete  dis- 
tinction between  the  two  periods. 

The  personnel  of  the  Committee  included  representatives 
of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  Massachusetts  Agricul- 
tural College,  county  farm  bureaus,  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  Agri- 
cultural Committee,  State  Board  of  Education,  Society  for 
the  Promotion  of  Agriculture,  Grange  Homestead  Commis- 
sion and  various  producers;  also  representatives  of  distribu- 
tors' and  consumers'  agencies.  (See  list  of  Preparatory 
Committees,  Appendix,  page  539.)  From  the  first  it  was  felt 
that  the  Committee  should  act  primarily  as  a  co-ordinating 
agency,  using  all  existing  machinery  and  making  new  organi- 
zations only  where  work  could  not  be  done  by  those  already 
in  the  field.     The  co-operation  of  the  various  bodies  repre- 

324 


sented  in  the  Committee  was  immediate  and  cordial.  The 
Agricultural  College  was  at  once  mobilized  for  war  service, 
and  the  teaching  staff  organized  into  committees  to  which 
definite  problems  were  assigned.  Courses  were  quickly 
arranged  which  would  train  upper  class  men  for  work  as 
supervisors  and  as  special  demonstrators.  The  farm  bureaus 
placed  their  staffs  at  the  disposal  of  the  Committee,  and  it 
was  decided  that  these  organizations  furnished,  on  the  whole, 
the  best  means  of  approach  to  the  public. 

The  first  great  task  was  that  of  publicity.  Few  realized 
the  immensity  of  the  food  problem  and  the  swiftness  with 
which  it  would  become  real  in  the  United  States.  To  bring 
this  to  the  attention  of  the  public  many  agencies  were  needed. 
The  Committee  recruited  a  staff  of  speakers.  Meetings  and 
rallies  were  planned  for  all  parts  of  the  State.  A  weekly 
news-letter  was  issued  from  the  State  House,  giving  publicity 
and  reporting  the  plans  of  the  various  town  committees.  A 
technical  news-letter  was  also  sent  frequently  from  the 
Agricultural  College,  offering  advice  and  suggestions  for 
problems  of  the  moment.  For  the  first  few  months  a  pub- 
licity man  was  borrowed  from  the  department  of  journalism 
of  the  Agricultural  College,  and  much  material  was  thereby 
furnished  to  the  daily  and  weekly  press.  Several  bulletins 
on  the  technical  subjects  of  gardening,  poultry  raising, 
preservation  of  products,  etc.,  were  prepared  by  specialists 
at  the  college.  The  farm  bureaus  issued  special  bulletins, 
in  some  cases  translated  into  many  foreign  languages.  The 
American  Woolen  Company  found  that  its  employees  repre- 
sented twenty-six  different  tongues,  and  gardening  bulletins 
were  translated  into  most  of  these.  Posters  and  fliers  were 
used.  By  various  methods  public  interest  was  gained,  so 
that  within  a  month  the  greater  part  of  the  State  was 
reached. 

In  carrying  out  this  policy  the  staff  at  the  State  House 
became  overwhelmed  with  daily  calls  for  information  and 
assistance,  and  the  county  farm  bureaus  and  county  agri- 
cultural schools  were  at  once  requested  to  organize  county 

325 


food  production  committees,  which  should  be  representative 
of  all  forces  that  might  assist  in  the  production  or  conserva- 
tion of  food.  These  committees  were  usually  appointed  after 
a  county  mass  meeting  to  which  all  were  invited,  and  were 
organized  in  all  counties  of  the  State  except  Suffolk,  Dukes 
and  Nantucket. 

The  county  food  committees  in  their  turn  were  requested 
to  organize  food  production  and  conservation  committees  in 
every  city  and  town.  By  the  end  of  April  committees  were 
active  in  334  of  the  cities  and  towns  in  Massachusetts,  and 
other  towns  were  represented  in  regional  committees.  It 
was  while  this  movement  was  in  progress  that  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety,  as  hereinbefore  related,  decided  to  organize 
sub-committees  in  the  cities  and  towns  throughout  the  State. 
This  caused  momentary  confusion,  but  before  long  the  city 
and  town  committees  on  food  production  became  sub-com- 
mittees of  the  city  and  town  Committees  on  Public  Safety, 
just  as  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Food  Production 
was  a  sub-committee  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on 
Public  Safety. 

Following  this  program  food  production  rallies  were  ar- 
ranged for  all  parts  of  the  State,  first  in  county  rallies,  then 
locally  for  the  cities  and  towns.  Wherever  possible  existing 
pennanent  agencies,  such  as  boards  of  trade,  school  com- 
mittees, granges,  clubs  and  churches,  were  made  use  of. 
A  food  program  for  Massachusetts  was  published  in  March. 
The  outline  was  as  follows:  — 

Detailed  Plan  of  Work. 

I.    Farm  production. 
Plan. 

1.  Urge  production  of  staples,  particularly  corn,  beans,  cattle,, 
swine,  poultry  and  farm  gardens. 
Method. 

1.  Locate  supplies,  seeds,  plants,  fertilizers,  animals,  etc. 

2.  Locate  supply  of  farm  labor. 

3.  Inventory  needs  of  towns,  also  resources  (land,  labor,  etc.). 

4.  Discourage  slaughter  of  calves  and  dairy  cows. 

326 


II.    Boys'  and  girls'  gardens. 
Plan. 

1.  To  encourage  boys  and  girls  to  contribute  to  the  support  of 

families. 

2.  To  utilize  vacant  lots  for  gardens. 
Method. 

1.  Furnish  printed  information  and  directions  (varieties,  plant- 

ing, etc.).  Many  college  boards,  boards  of  agriculture,  and 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  bulletins  are 
available. 

2.  Get  banks  and  boards  of  trade  to  finance  supplies  (seeds,  fer- 

tilizers, pigs,  poultry,  etc.). 

3.  Get  towns  and  cities  to  provide  supervision. 

4.  Promote  larger  club  projects  where  possible  (larger  acreage  of 

corn,  potatoes,  etc.). 
Note.  —  Adequate  supervision  is  most  essential. 

III.  Family  gardens  for  adults. 

Plan. 

1.  To  encourage  families  to  have  gardens. 

2.  To  utilize  vacant  lots. 
Method. 

1.  Get  industrial  concerns  to  provide  land  for  operatives. 

2.  Get  municipalities  to  provide  land  for  residents. 

3.  Provide  printed  information. 

4.  Get  banks  to  assist. 

Note.  —  It  is  recommended  that  a  single  system  of  supervision 
cover  both  juvenile  and  adult  garden  activities. 

IV.  Home  conservation  of  foods. 

V.    Economic  distribution  of  food  supplies. 

With  reference  to  home  conservation  of  foods,  the  Women's 
Committee  on  Household  Conservation  was  organized  under 
Dean  Sarah  Louise  Arnold  of  Simmons  College  as  chairman. 

This  Committee  issued  material  on  the  need  and  wise 
methods  of  household  conservation  of  foods,  and  examined 
and  gave  its  public  approval  to  bulletins  prepared  by  other 
agencies.  It  also  organized  local  Women's  Food  Conserva- 
tion Committees  in  330  cities  and  towns  of  the  Common- 
wealth, being  83  per  cent  of  a  possible  total.  Before  the 
work  had  gone  far  the  Woman's  Council  of  National  De- 
fense organized  a  Massachusetts  branch  under  the  chair- 

327 


manship  of  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Committee  on  Household  Conservation;  and  as  part 
of  the  program  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  a  Food 
Committee  was  called  for  in  every  city  and  town.  This 
again  caused  some  confusion,  but  in  the  majority  of  cases 
existing  women's  committees  on  conservation  were  merged 
with  the  Council  of  National  Defense  Committees,  thus 
furnishing  an  excellent  basis  for  work  when  Mrs.  Thayer 
was  appointed  home  economics  director  by  Mr.  Hoover  as 
Federal  Food  Administrator.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the 
Women's  Committee  on  Conservation  had  a  program  for 
food  thrift  in  operation  before  the  Federal  program  of  the 
Council  of  Defense  was  published,  and  several  months  in 
advance  of  the  home  economics  work  undertaken  by  the 
Federal  Food  Administration. 

The  campaign  for  the  production  of  food  was  hardly  under 
way  before  a  committee  was  assigned  to  the  task  of  making 
out  a  more  detailed  program  for  food  distribution.  In  con- 
junction with  the  department  of  economics  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  College,  a  careful  outline  was  prepared, 
and  in  April,  1917,  the  committee  was  definitely  at  work 
on  problems  of  distribution.  The  proposed  program,  which 
later  furnished  the  basis  for  the  first  few  months'  work  of 
the  Food  Administration,  follows:  — 


A  Program  for  Food  Distribution  and  Investigation  in 
Massachusetts,  May,  1917 

Presented  by  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  Sub-Committee  on 

Food  Production  and  Conservation 

The  distribution  of  such  food  products  as  are  shipped  into  Massachu- 
setts, together  with  the  few  farm  products  that  are  shipped  out,  are  matters 
of  interstate  commerce.  As  a  general  principle  of  administration,  the  dis- 
tribution of  local  produce  may  well  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  city  directors 
of  markets,  county  marketing  advisors,  supervised  by  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety,  and  existing  State  institutions.  Matters  with  reference  to 
transportation  of  produce  entering  into  interstate  commerce  should  largely 
be  in  the  hands  of  a  food  administrator  appointed  by  the  United  States 
government. 

328 


Administration 

1.  The  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety  will  assume  direction 

of  the  emergency  distribution  program.     It  will   work  in  the 
fullest  co-operation  with  — 

(a)  The  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 

(b)  The  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College. 

(c)  County  farm  bureaus. 

(d)  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture. 

(e)  Chambers  of  commerce  and  boards  of  trade. 
(/)    Committees  of  Public  Safety. 

(g)   Producers',  distributors'  and  consumers'  associations. 

(h)  Other  existing  agencies  for  similar  purposes. 

[i 

They  will  urge  the  appointment  of  — 

2.  County  market  advisors  in  county  farm  bureaus. 

3.  City  directors  of  markets  and  market  news  bureaus  in  the  large  Massa- 

chusetts cities. 


Information 

1.  Establish  a  State  Bureau  of  Market  Information  to  act  as  a  clearing 

house  for  all  sorts  of  market  news  and  information  concerning 
markets.     There  are  two  distinct  functions:  — 

(a)  A  market  news  service,   carrying  an   appropriation   of  $500   per 

month. 

(b)  Marketing  assistance  and  direct  information  to  producers  and  dis- 

tributors in  Massachusetts,  carrying  an  appropriation  of  $500 
per  month. 

This  is  a  very  important  project,  and  should  begin  immediately. 

2.  Take  a  census  of  agricultural  production,  including  acreage  and  crops 

of  1916  and  1917,  animals  and  animal  products  raised  and  sold 
in  1916  and  1917,  supplies  needed,  and  inventories  of  food  and 
feed  supplies  on  hand. 

This  project  should  be  in  charge  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety, 
but  can  be  made  in  co-operation  with  the  county  farm  bureaus  and 
boards  of  trade  on  blanks  prepared  by  the  Food  Committee.  The  Food 
Committee  should  assist  in  financing  the  project. 

Not  only  the  census  of  farm  products,  but  the  city  garden  census, 
should  be  made  on  uniform  blanks  furnished  by  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety. 

It  is  imperative  that  the  data  from  this  census  be  adequate  and  uni- 
form, since  they  must  be  used  by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  for 

329 


making  plans  for  distributing  the  crop  of  1917,  and  for  planning  a  food 
product  ion  campaign  for  1918. 

A  survey  lias  already  been  made  in  the  three  western  counties,  and  is 
now  being  made  under  the  direction  of  the  Worcester  County  Food  Com- 
mittee. The  project,  however,  may  be  delayed  until  Federal  plans  are 
known,  but  it  should  be  undertaken  before  October,  in  order  that  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety  may  lay  its  plans  for  conserving  the  harvest 
of  this  year,  and  plan  next  year's  program.  The  necessary  appropriation 
for  assisting  in  this  project  is  $12,000. 

3.  Make  an  inventory  of  the  normal  food  and  feed  consumption,  including 

stocks  of  food  and  feed  on  hand  now  and  under  normal  condi- 
tions, the  source  and  quantity  of  food  shipped  into  Massachu- 
setts, the  quantity  of  food  and  feed  locally  produced,  and  the 
seasons  and  quantities  of  consumption.  This  inventory  may  be 
made  by  the  county  farm  bureaus  or  by  boards  of  trade  in  larger 
cities.  The  blanks  and  the  direction  of  the  survey  should  be  in 
the  hands  of  the  Food  Committee,  and  tabulations  made  under 
their  supervision. 

Co-operation  with  the  Board  of  Agriculture  and  the  Federal  govern- 
ment is  very  desirable.  This  project  may  be  delayed  until  the  Federal 
plans  are  made  known,  but  it  can  well  be  begun  at  once  in  such  counties 
as  are  ready  to  finance  it. 

4.  Take  a  census  of  food  storages  and  foods  in  storage,  both  farm  and 

commercial,  including  — 
(a)  The  capacity  of  the  storage  and  the  available  stocks  on  hand. 
(6)   Monthly  reports  of  stocks  of  food  in  storage.     This  is  being  made, 

and  can  well  be  taken  care  of,  by  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 

The  statistics  should  be  available  in  great  detail  to  all  cities  and 

towns. 

5.  Make  a  monthly  inventory  of  crop  acreage  and  conditions,  with  yields 

and  available  supply  of  crops  as  they  mature,  including  espe- 
cially local  crops,  but  also  crops  outside  of  Massachusetts  which 
are  sold  here. 

This  project  may  be  carried  out  by  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  co- 
operating with  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Bureau  of 
Crop  Estimates,  and  with  the  county  farm  bureaus.  This  project  should 
be  undertaken  at  once  and  carried  out  through  the  season.  The  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety  should  appropriate  $t200  per  month  for  its 
execution. 

330 


Organization 

6.  Organize  farmers'  exchanges  in  local  producing  centers  for  the  purpose 

of  — 

(a)  Securing  market  information. 

(b)  Sorting,  grading  and  preparing  products  for  market. 

(c)  Storing  and  selling. 

(d)  Constructing   storages,    warehouses,    distributing    plants,    possibly 

canneries,  dryers,  packing  plants. 

(e)  Purchasing  supplies,  machinery,  equipment,  etc. 

Propaganda  and  information  should  be  furnished  by  the  Committee 
on  Public  Safety  co-operating  with  the  Agricultural  College,  the  work  or 
rprganization  to  be  largely  in  the  hands  of  county  farm  bureaus  and 
farmers'  co-operative  exchanges. 

Propaganda  and  organization  work  should  be  begun  at  once. 

7.  Organize   a   campaign   for   the   local   utilization   and   consumption   of 

locally  produced  material  wherever  possible,  including  adver- 
tising, local  exchanges  and  the  like. 

8.  Organize   city   and   farm   market   places,   particularly  for   the  use   of 

amateur  growers  and  children  who  wish  to  dispose  of  ungraded 
and  irregular  lots  of  produce. 

Encourage  the  organization  of  groups  of  neighboring  consumers  who 
desire  to  buy  directly  from  producers. 

Propaganda  and  publicity  work  by  the  Committee  on  Food  Supply. 
Organization  work  to  be  carried  out  by  city  directors  of  markets  and 
county  farm  bureaus. 

9.  Encourage  the  use  of  future  contracts  for  farm  products,  either  for 

immediate  consumption  or  storage  supplies  for  bona  fide  trade. 
These  contracts  are  chiefly  available  between  wholesalers,  re- 
tailers and  local  producers. 

An  appropriation  of  $4,000  is  necessary  to  cover  projects  6,  7,  8  and  9. 
This  work  should  begin  immediately. 

10.  Co-operate  with  the  National  Food  Administration,  the  United  States 

Department  of  Agriculture,  the  Agricultural  College,  State  Board 
of  Agriculture,  county  farm  bureaus,  committees  of  public 
safety  and  other  agencies,  to  facilitate  the  distribution  of  farm 
products,  eliminate  waste,  prevent  gluts,  famines  and  exorbitant 
prices. 

Note.  — ■  The  Committee  on  Public  Safety  should  take  charge  of  this 
program,  co-operating  with  existing  agencies,  official  and  otherwise,  until 

331 


such  time  as  there  is  appointed  a  State  Food  Administrator  or  a  Federal 
Food  Director  for  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  Thereafter  the  Committee 
stands  ready  to  co-operate  with  the  new  agency,  to  give  up  any  part  of 
the  work  to  that  agency,  or  to  give  over  the  work  in  its  entirety  if  the 
United  States  government  or  the  State  of  Massachusetts  so  decrees. 


Farm  versus  Household  Gardens.  —  We  now  return  to  the 
several  topics  of  the  food  program  relating  to  production. 

The  Food  Production  Committee  felt  from  the  first  that 
the  largest  results  in  food  production  could  be  secured  from 
professional  farmers.  In  many  counties  an  inventory  of 
land,  labor,  seed,  fertilizer  and  machinery  was  made.  This 
inventory  was  not  wholly  satisfactory,  but  in  the  counties 
where  it  was  most  carefully  done  it  proved  of  value,  and 
clearly  showed  the  desirability  of  a  regular  annual  inventory 
of  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  State. 

In  February,  1919,  a  bill  came  before  the  Legislature  pro- 
viding for  a  part  of  this  work  as  a  joint  project  of  the  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  the  Tax  Commissioner  and  the 
Federal  Bureau  of  Crop  Estimates,  but  was  never  made  law. 

Land  for  Farming  Crops.  —  For  farm  purposes  land  was 
available  in  great  plenty.  Farmers  were  urged  to  devote 
their  materials  and  labor  to  their  best  land,  and  it  was 
pointed  out  that  clearing  of  unimproved  land  resources 
should  rather  be  used  where  the  greatest  production  would 
result. 

Seed.  —  A  survey  of  the  seed  situation  in  1917  showed  a 
shortage  of  seed  beans  and  very  high  prices  for  seed  potatoes. 
The  Committee  provided  for  adequate  stocks  of  seed  beans, 
and  made  arrangements  with  houses  in  Boston  to  provide 
seed  potatoes  at  $3.25  per  bushel,  $1.50  less  than  prevailing 
prices.  In  this  alone  upwards  of  $50,000  was  saved  to 
farmers  and  gardeners  in  the  State. 

In  the  spring  of  1917  the  Committee,  which  in  general 
discouraged  the  planting  of  potatoes  except  by  those  sure  of 
a  market,  found  it  necessary  to  safeguard  the  supply  of 
potato  seed  for  family  gardens  and  regular  potato  growers 

332 


by  urging  the  public  not  to  eat  potatoes  until  after  planting 
time. 

In  1918,  under  a  threatened  shortage  of  seed  corn  due  to 
low  germination  of  seed  stocks  injured  by  early  frost,  arrange- 
ments were  made  with  six  Boston  seed  houses,  and  adequate 
stocks  made  available  for  the  supply  of  all. 

Fertilizers.  —  In  1917  little  could  be  done  in  the  matter 
of  fertilizer  supply  except  to  hasten  delivery  of  stocks  of 
commercial  fertilizers  already  purchased  and  in  transit,  but 
greatly  delayed  by  the  congestion  of  traffic  incident  to  the 
'movement  of  war  material.  Here  the  Committee's  work 
had  good  results.  In  addition,  through  the  county  agri- 
cultural agents,  farmers  were  urged  to  more  careful  con- 
servation and  a  wiser  use  of  farm  manures. 

Prices  of  fertilizers  were  investigated  in  1918,  and  the  Food 
Administration  stood  ready  to  prosecute  any  dealers  found 
to  be  profiteering.  Such  action,  however,  proved  unneces- 
sary, and  no  cases  of  excessive  profit  were  discovered  where 
prosecution  seemed  called  for. 

Labor.  —  The  immediate  demand  of  farmers,  when  asked 
to  increase  production,  was  for  labor.  War  industries  were 
at  the  time  competing  in  all  labor  markets,  and  wages  were 
advancing  beyond  the  amount  which  fanners  dared  to  pay. 
The  first  effort,  therefore,  was  to  promote  the  growing  of 
such  crops  as  required  fewest  hands. 

To  increase  the  body  of  laborers,  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  organized  the  Committee  for  Mobilization  of  School 
Boys  for  Farm  Service,  —  a  detailed  account  of  whose  activi- 
ties has  already  been  given  in  Part  III,  Chapter  III,  —  and 
in  promoting  this  was  able  to  use  many  of  the  same  agencies 
which  the  Food  Production  Committee  had  found  useful. 

Manufacturers  also  lent  their  aid,  and  many  agreed  to 
release  men  from  their  factories  in  order  to  help  neighboring 
fanners  when  the  deficit  in  labor  supply  was  at  its  height. 
In  Worcester  County  this  assistance  was  most  marked,  the 
farm  bureau  presenting  to  the  manufacturers  a  carefully 
worked-out  schedule  of  the  number  of  hours  needed  each 

333 


week,  the  location  of  the  farmers  asking  for  help,  and  the 
transportation  facilities  for  carrying  the  men  to  and  from 
their  work. 

The  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  lent  to  the  Com- 
mittee a  specialist  in  labor,  who  opened  a  registration  office 
for  general  farm  help.  To  secure  the  necessary  contact  with 
farmers,  branch  offices  were  opened  with  the  farm  bureaus 
in  nearly  all  the  counties.  Every  effort  was  made  to  supply 
local  labor  needs  from  local  labor  supply,  and  to  send  men 
from  county  to  county,  or  from  Boston  to  the  western  part 
of  the  State,  only  where  imperatively  demanded.  By  this 
system  over  a  thousand  men  were  placed  on  farms  during 
the  season. 

During  1918  a  different  plan  was  followed.  The  Depart- 
ment of  Labor  and  the  United  States  Employment  Service 
took  over  the  matter  of  soliciting  farm  labor,  and  from  the 
central  registration  office  the  names  of  men  available  as 
farm  help  from  each  county  were  sent  to  the  county  agri- 
cultural agents.  Little  was  accomplished,  however,  for  when 
the  actual  demand  for  labor  came  the  men  who  had  regis- 
tered were  unwilling  to  go  to  farms  except  for  wages  far 
beyond  the  ability  of  the  farmer  to  pay.  The  chief  result, 
but  an  important  one,  was  to  disprove  the  claim  that  an 
abundance  of  labor  was  available  for  farm  work. 

Plans  were  considered  during  the  summer  of  1918  for  joint 
efforts  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and 
the  Food  Administration,  with  a  view  to  meeting  labor  needs 
for  the  harvest  of  1918,  and  for  the  season  of  1919.  Massa- 
chusetts was  in  much  worse  condition  than  the  northern 
New  England  States,  since  the  war  industries  were  near 
enough  to  make  attractive  proposals  to  all  competent  men 
who  could  be  detached  from  the  farms.  Many  reports  came, 
indeed,  of  idleness  and  unemployment,  but  the  usual  type 
of  unemployed  men  was  the  habitual  loafer,  unreliable  for 
farm  work,  and  unwilling  to  stay  if  by  chance  he  reached 
the  farm.  One  of  the  best  dairvmen  of  the  Commonwealth, 
a  member  of  the  Food  Production  Committee,  reported  that 

334 


for  several  months  his  superintendent  had  to  spend  much 
time  recruiting'  labor  from  the  barrooms  of  the  city,  with 
the  certainty  that  the  men  hired  would  not  remain  and  would 
prove  unsatisfactory  while  on  the  farm;  yet  this  was  the 
only  supply  available.  Some  loss  of  food  products  and  of 
forage  crops  resulted  from  inability  to  get  hands  when  crops 
were  all  ready  for  harvest.  The  finality  of  hay  was  injured 
by  standing  too  long.  A  further  circumstance  causing  loss 
was  the  unusually  early  maturing  of  fruits  and  vegetables, 
so  that  the  harvest  season  arrived  from  one  to  three  weeks 
before  it  was  expected.  As  emergency  labor  could  not  be 
secured,  quantities  of  fruit  and  produce  went  into  storage  in 
poor  condition,  and  much  complaint  was  heard  that  waste  in 
storage  was  far  greater  than  usual. 

Syndicate  Farming.- — In  some  cases  groups  of  business 
men  and  manufacturers  contributed  to  the  food  supply  by 
employing  professional  farmers  to  grow  extra  crops.  Manu- 
facturers and  business  men  of  Northampton  employed  a 
local  farmer  to  raise  100  acres  of  additional  crops  in  the 
Northampton  meadows,  the  business  men  hiring  land  and 
providing  supplies  for  the  purpose.  In  some  cases  factories 
established  factory  farms  in  order  that  supplies  for  their 
help  might  be  produced  near  at  hand.  While  the  products 
of  these  efforts  were  relatively  small,  the  efforts  themselves 
showed  clearly  the  general  patriotic  interest  and  purpose. 

Boys'  and  Girls'  Gardens.  —  About  the  value  of  boys'  and 
girls'  garden  production  many  were  skeptical,  and  prophesied 
that  fertilizers,  seed,  land  and  labor  would  be  wasted  without 
any  proportionate  return.  Those,  however,  who  had 
watched  the  development  of  boys'  and  girls'  agricultural 
and  home  economics  clubs  were  convinced  that  a  great 
increase  in  food  production  might  be  made  by  this  mean>. 
The  work  was  supervised  by  the  State  leader  of  junior 
extension  work  at  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College, 
who  had  previously  been  responsible  for  such  developments. 
City  and  town  committees,  county  farm  bureaus,  agricultural 
schools,  granges  and  many  other  agencies  fell  in  with  the 

335 


program  of  juvenile  gardening,  with  the  result  that  over 
100,000  boys  and  girls  were  registered.  From  some  of  these 
gardens  the  product  was  relatively  slight;  in  other  cases  the 
value  of  food  output  ran  into  hundreds  of  dollars.  Prof. 
George  L.  Farley  of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College, 
State  leader  of  boys'  and  girls'  club  work,  reported  $654,- 
441.56  as  his  estimate  of  the  value  of  food  production  by 
children,  and  it  should  be  remembered  that  these  crops 
were  raised  on  the  spot  by  the  ultimate  consumers. 

Important,  also,  was  the  canning  and  preserving  which 
went  hand  in  hand  with  the  boys'  and  girls'  garden  work. 
A  surprising  number  of  householders  have  never  appreciated 
the  possibilities  of  preserving  the  surplus  above  their  im- 
mediate family  needs.  The  influence  of  past  efforts  of  the 
Agricultural  College  and  farm  bureaus  in  teaching  the  possi- 
bilities of  canning  and  drying  made  possible  the  preservation 
of  virtually  the  entire  surplus  of  the  boys'  and  girls'  gardens, 
and  gave  excellent  foundation  for  more  extended  work  by 
adults.  During  1918  the  Food  Administration  provided  still 
more  assistance  for  the  college  and  the  farm  bureaus,  which 
in  a  measure  accounts  for  the  better  results  from  the  efforts 
of  the  club  members  during  that  year. 

In  1918  the  total  number  of  gardens  was  somewhat  in- 
creased, and  the  quality  and  size  of  gardens  substantially 
improved.  With  the  advanced  price  of  garden  produce  the 
output  value  was  materially  greater. 

As  a  stimulus  to  interest,  many  city  and  town  committees 
arranged  garden  exhibits  in  the  autumn,  and  some  of  these 
communities  had  in  this  way  their  first  experience  in  dis- 
covering their  agricultural  resources.  The  number  of  such 
exhibits  was  greater  in  1917  than  in  1918,  because  in  the 
latter  year  the  influenza  epidemic  made  public  gatherings 
unwise.  The  experience  of  such  county  fairs  as  held  their 
exhibits  before  the  epidemic  became  widespread  showed 
distinct  advance  in  quality  over  the  exhibits  of  the  previous 
year. 

The  moral  value  of  the  boys'  and  girls'  gardens  in  im- 

336 


pressing  the  urgency  of  national  crisis  on  the  whole  public 
was  an  element  not  easily  overestimated. 

Family  Gardens  for  Adults.  —  Much  care  was  given  to 
organizing  a  campaign  for  increased  gardening  by  house- 
holders. City  and  town  committees  were  requested  to  solicit 
land  of  those  who  had  surplus,  and  apportion  it  to  those 
who  had  none.  Many  committees  undertook  to  plough 
gardens  at  a  nominal  charge,  and  to  provide  seed,  fertilizers, 
insecticides  and  fungicides  at  cost.  Many  clever  and  success- 
ful devices  were  arranged  by  the  committees.  In  the  town 
of  Concord,  for  instance,  a  supply  of  knapsack  hand  sprayers 
was  purchased,  and  these  were  rented  to  household  gardeners 
at  a  nominal  fee,  a  solution  being  prepared  by  the  town 
supervisors  and  furnished  by  the  gallon,  ready  mixed  at  cost. 
In  the  town  of  Framingham  gardens  were  so  arranged  that 
all  the  potatoes  of  all  the  gardeners  were  planted  in  con- 
tinuous rows  for  easy  cultivation  and  for  machine  spraying. 
The  town  spraying  apparatus  was  used,  and  the  costs  were 
charged  pro  rata  to  the  individual  gardeners.  Those  who 
had  previously  cultivated  gardens  added  to  their  area  if 
possible,  and  greatly  increased  their  efforts.  Many  who 
had  never  before  planted  a  seed  became  enthusiastic  horti- 
culturists. The  appearance  of  gardens  in  all  manner  of 
unheard-of  places,  and  in  great  numbers,  gave  early  evidence 
of  the  success  of  the  campaign. 

The  Committee  felt,  however,  that  such  huge  beginnings 
would  lead  to  equally  huge  failures  unless  provision  were 
made  for  careful  assistance  and  follow-up  work.  Therefore, 
every  town  of  any  size  was  urged  to  provide  paid  supervision. 
The  State  Board  of  Education  offered  to  co-operate  with 
the  school  committees  of  towns  by  providing  teachers  of 
agriculture.  In  other  cities  and  towns  the  school  committee, 
without  formality,  assigned  a  competent  teacher  to  this 
work.  In  still  others  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  or 
the  Food  Production  Committee  provided  emergency  funds 
for  such  supervision  as  seemed  necessary.  Losses  through 
ill-advised  gardens  were  materially  decreased  by  these  efforts, 

337 


and  many,  who  would  undoubtedly  have  failed,  were  en- 
abled  to  score  a  substantial  success.  The  Committee  further 
urged  cities  and  towns  to  use  every  means  to  discourage 
gardeners  from  undertaking  work  on  undesirable  land,  or  in 
locations  where  the  product  might  be  destroyed  by  subse- 
quent building  or  use  of  land  for  other  purposes. 

In  April,  1917,  the  Committee  endorsed  and  urged  the 
passage  of  a  daylight-saving  law;  and  later,  when  this  be- 
came effective,  much  time  was  available  for  gardening  which 
otherwise  would  have  been  lost. 

In  the  season  of  1918,  in  view  of  the  widespread  interest 
created  the  previous  year,  it  was  considered  unnecessary  to 
give  much  publicity  to  garden  work;  in  fact,  more  was 
produced  in  gardens  that  year  than  in  1917. 

The  value  of  the  household  garden  became  increasingly 
evident,  not  only  with  respect  to  the  food  which  it  con- 
tributed to  the  maintenance  of  the  family,  but  perhaps  still 
more  from  the  provision  which  it  made  for  wholesome 
exercise  and  interest. 

Much  opposition  to  the  household  garden  work  developed 
in  1918  from  the  market  gardeners,  who  felt  that  the  increase 
in  household  production  had  seriously  affected  the  market 
for  commercially  raised  produce.  It  was  the  opinion,  how- 
ever, of  those  connected  with  the  market  gardeners'  experi- 
ment station,  with  the  farm  bureaus  of  eastern  Massachu- 
setts, and  with  the  Agricultural  College  that  the  increased 
consumption  of  vegetables  had  more  than  offset  the  in- 
creased production  by  householders.  The  fact  seems  to  be 
that  commercial  production  had  overtaken  normal  con- 
sumption; and  if  the  war  had  not  come,  bringing  abnormal 
consumption  and  abnormal  household  gardening,  the  same 
glutting  of  markets  would  still  have  resulted. 

A  further  factor  in  the  situation,  of  no  small  account,  is 
the  increase  in  the  use  of  motor  trucks.  Producers  in  the 
Providence  neighborhood  reached  out  into  the  Massachusetts 
markets  in  1918,  and  brought  in  volumes  of  produce  from 
farms  which  previously  were  not  in  competition  with  Massa- 
chusetts growers. 

338 


Factory  Gardens.  —  Early  in  the  season  of  1917  request 
was  made  to  groups  of  manufacturers  that  they  provide 
gardening  opportunities  for  their  employees,  and  many  large 
firms  responded  generously.  The  Committee  urged  that 
whatever  was  done  should  not  be  in  the  nature  of  philan- 
thropy, but  that  land  leased  by  the  factory  should  be  sublet 
to  individual  -gardeners  at  actual  cost.  The  ploughing  and 
harrowing  might  well  be  done  by  the  company,  but  should 
be  charged  to  the  gardeners  at  cost;  the  same  principle  was 
advised  in  the  matter  of  fertilizers,  seeds  and  insecticides. 

Some  striking  results  were  achieved  in  the  case  of  the 
American  Woolen  Company.  At  some  50  different  mills, 
520  acres  were  brought  under  cultivation ;  and  the  operatives 
of  this  company  produced  over  45,000  bushels  of  potatoes, 
many  thousand  bushels  of  other  root  crops,  and  40,000  ears 
of  sweet  corn,  in  addition  to  the  usual  more  perishable 
summer  vegetables.  The  project  was  still  more  carefully 
developed  in  1918  by  the  Norton  Company  in  Worcester, 
which  perhaps  has  set  a  standard  for  permanent  work  of 
this  kind.  It  must  also  be  recorded  that  some  corporations, 
under  poor  advice,  made  bad  failures,  one  Plymouth  County 
firm  losing  over  $15,000  in  a  single  season. 

The  Food  Production  Committee  urged  that  the  factories 
provide  adequate  supervision  and  assistance  to  amateur 
gardeners.  Some  firms  employed  trained  supervisors ;  others, 
by  canvass  of  their  forces,  found  among  them  men  who  were 
successful  gardeners,  and  who  could  be  allowed  time  to  in- 
struct and  assist  their  fellow  workers. 

A  special  committee  was  appointed  to  further  this  project 
in  1918,  with  the  result  that  for  the  season  211  factory 
gardens  were  reported,  with  a  total  of  1,621  acres  and  17,380 
individual  plots.  This  demonstration  of  what  can  be  done 
is  now  being  used  as  a  basis  for  further  planning;  and  it  is 
recognized  by  many  manufacturers  that  such  provision  for 
their  employees  is  of  great  value,  not  only  in  contributing 
to  the  support  of  families,  but  in  its  bearing  on  permanence 
of  occupation  and  on  contentment  of  mind.  That  the  cost 
of  living  in  New  England  is  greater  than  elsewhere  puts  at 

339 


a  distinct  disadvantage  manufacturers  who  must  produce 
in  competition  with  sections  of  the  country  where  wage 
schedules  are  lower.  The  garden  may  prove  a  considerable 
element  in  offsetting  this  disadvantage.  Plans  now  being 
considered  may  become  the  starting  point  of  organization 
of  the  New  England  Farm  and  Food  Foundation,  which 
hopes  to  do  much  in  years  to  come  toward  making  permanent 
the  work  which  was  begun  during  the  war  emergency. 

At  the  final  meeting  of  the  Food  Production  Committee 
it  was  estimated  that  upwards  of  half  a  million  gardens  had 
been  stimulated  by  the  various  agencies  concerned,  and  that 
the  value  of  their  products,  all  told,  ran  into  millions  of  dollars. 

Protection  for  Gardens. — After  the  campaign  for  increased 
gardening,  complaints  were  soon  heard  of  depredations, 
both  juvenile  and  adult.  Co-operating  with  the  Probation 
Commission  and  various  juvenile  agencies,  a  committee  was 
formed  to  undertake  a  campaign  for  protection  of  gardens. 
"No  trespass"  signs  were  furnished  from  the  Department  of 
Agriculture;  and  a  different  type  was  issued  by  the  Food 
Production  Committee,  rather  appealing  to  patriotic  instinct 
than  threatening  punishment.  It  is  gratifying  to  record  that 
through  the  latter  part  of  the  season  of  1917  and  through 
the  year  1918  very  few  reports  of  damage  came  to  the 
Committee;  on  the  contrary,  many  city  and  town  com- 
mittees reported  that  by  the  co-operation  of  police  judges 
and  departments  their  communities  had  been  remarkably 
free  from  this  type  of  misdemeanor. 

Credit  Problem.  —  Complaint  was  made  by  farmers  early 
in  the  season  of  1917  that  credit  was  not  adequate  to  pro- 
vide for  increased  production.  In  meeting  this  complaint 
the  experience  of  the  Plymouth  County  Trust  Company  and 
other  banks  in  the  distinctly  agricultural  sections  was  taken 
as  a  basis  for  publicity  work.  A  bulletin  was  prepared  and 
circulated  to  all  banks  urging  that  liberal  credit  be  given  to 
farmers  who  wished  to  increase  production.  The  county 
agricultural  agents  were  in  many  cases  asked  to  pass  upon 
the  projects  of  the  various  applicants,  and  less  demand  was 

340 


discovered  for  additional  credit  than  had  been  anticipated. 
In  one  of  the  western  counties  the  county  agricultural  agent 
reported  that  to  only  one  application  had  he  refused  en- 
dorsement; and  the  president  of  the  bank  which  handled 
the  larger  portion  of  this  business  reported  at  the  close  of 
the  year  that,  with  one  exception,  all  notes  had  been  paid. 
From  a  western  Massachusetts  town  of  less  than  300  inhabit- 
ants, 11  fanners  came  to  this  bank  and  signed  a  joint  note 
for  the  amount  of  their  total  requirements.  This  loan  was 
entirely  paid  by  the  beginning  of  the  next  season,  and  the 
'bank  had  made  business  connection  with  several  new  clients. 
The  districts  in  which  it  was  difficult  to  secure  credit  were, 
for  the  greater  part,  not  distinctly  agricultural  sections,  but 
had  become  largely  devoted  to  estates  and  to  suburban 
residences. 

The  Committee  failed  to  hear  reports  of  any  cases  where 
permanent  losses  were  sustained  by  banks  through  the  ex- 
tension of  emergency  credit. 

g 

Crop  Underwriting.  —  Appeal  for  production  had  hardly 
been  made  before  the  farmers  of  the  Commonwealth  com- 
plained that  the  government  was  guaranteeing  manufac- 
turers and  producers  of  war  materials  against  loss,  but  was 
asking  farmers  to  increase  production  without  any  such 
guarantee,  and  without  certainty  that  the  market  would  be 
adequate  to  take  the  produce.  Several  schemes  to  take 
care  of  the  increased  produce  were  developed.  In  Hampshire 
County  a  so-called  50-50  plan  was  worked  out.  Business 
men  and  manufacturers  established  a  fund  from  which  seeds 
and  insecticides  were  provided  for  certain  specific  crops, 
primarily  potatoes.  A  preliminary  census  of  the  county 
showed  that  the  greater  quantity  of  potatoes  therein  con- 
sumed was  imported  from  distant  sources,  and  an  attempt 
was  made  to  provide  the  consumers  within  the  county  from 
local  sources.  The  plan  resulted  in  some  increased  produc- 
tion, but,  like  many  others,  was  valuable  chiefly  in  stimu- 
lating interest. 

The  Worcester  Countv  Farm  Bureau  initiated  a  move- 

341 


ment  among  business  men  of  the  County  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  guarantee  insurance  fund,  to  be  held  as  a  reserve 
in  order  that  cost  of  production  might  be  repaid  to  all  who 
would  contract  to  grow  certain  staple  crops.  As  the  season 
advanced  it  seemed  best  to  agree  upon  an  arbitrary  price 
per  unit  for  the  crops,  and  this  was  done.  At  the  close  of 
the  season  but  one  claim  was  presented,  and  for  a  total  of 
about  $12.  In  view  of  the  security  given  to  producers,  and 
the  resulting  increase  of  production,  the  guarantors  felt  that 
the  movement  had  been  well  worth  while. 

A  somewhat  similar  movement  was  undertaken  in  Plym- 
outh County  in  1918  by  the  Rotary  Club,  which  raised  a 
guarantee  fund  of  $200,000  for  the  purpose  of  insuring  re- 
covery of  cost  of  potatoes  and  corn.  This  was  amply  covered 
by  the  acreage  offered  for  contract,  since  the  experience  of 

1917  was  here  repeated,  namely,  that  farmers  were  not  as 
anxious  to  contract  as  early  complaints  might  have  led  the 
guarantors  to  believe. 

In  Middlesex  County  a  plan  was  originated  by  which 
consumers  agreed  to  contract  with  farmers  for  the  purchase 
of  potatoes  and  beans  at  not  less  than  a  stated  minimum 
price,  and  in  addition  pledged  themselves  to  pay  the  Boston 
market  price  if  it  exceeded  the  minimum.  This  plan  was 
developed  further  by  the  Associated  Industries  of  Massa- 
chusetts. In  various  parts  of  the  State  manufacturing  cor- 
porations offered  to  contract  for  the  requirements  of  their 
employees.  It  is  significant  that  in  this  case,  also,  it  was 
difficult  to  place  contracts,  farmers  believing  that  they  could 
do  better  by  taking  their  chances  in  the  open  market.     In 

1918  the  Bristol  County  Independent  Agricultural  School 
developed  a  plan  to  stimulate  the  growing  of  corn  for  milling 
for  human  consumption.  Various  grocers  and  millers  con- 
tracted with  farmers  to  take  the  crop  at  a  specified  price. 
Here,  again,  fanners  preferred  to  take  their  chances  and 
sell  their  product  at  whatever  market  price  prevailed.  An 
increase  of  many  hundred  acres  resulted  from  this  movement 
in  Bristol  County  alone. 

342 


Campaign  to  prevent  Slaughter  of  Poultry.  —  Because  of  the 
stocks  of  poultry  in  storage,  the  market  prices  paid  for 
poultry  and  poultry  products  did  not  advance  in  the  year 
1917  in  any  such  measure  as  the  cost  of  production.  Massa- 
chusetts poultry  raisers  have  always  been  at  a  disadvantage 
in  comparison  with  poultry  raisers  of  the  West,  because  of 
the  fact  that  the  eastern  poultryman  must  purchase  feeds 
at  the  market  price,  while  the  westerner,  who  is  himself  a 
producer  of  feeds,  and  who  raises  poultry  on  free  range, 
never  knows  the  actual  cost  of  his  product.  The  flocks  of 
'.the  West  and  the  South  are  in  a  measure  self-sustaining 
through  the  summer,  and  such  grain  as  is  fed  in  winter  is 
seldom  charged  against  the  flock.  It  is  only  by  superior 
management  methods  that  the  eastern  poultryman  has  main- 
tained himself  in  competition  with  the  West. 

When  the  price  of  wheat  advanced  sharply  in  1917,  other 
grains  rapidly  followed,  and  the  Massachusetts  poultryman 
found  himself  under  great  stress.  Many  commercial  flocks 
were  reduced  to  a  minimum  of  breeding  hens,  and  many 
were  entirely  discontinued.  The  commercial  hatcheries  re- 
ported about  30  per  cent  of  their  usupI  volume  of  business. 

To  meet  this  the  Committee  on  Food  Production  secured 
money  to  pay  two  specialists  from  the  Agricultural  College, 
who  carried  on  an  intensive  campaign  in  various  parts  of 
the  State  for  increasing  Ihe  hatch.  This  was  done  with  the 
conviction  that  the  price  of  poultry  and  poultry  products 
would  shortly  advance  as  soon  as  storage  stocks  were  ex- 
hausted. As  a  residt  of  the  campaign,  many  commercial 
hatcheries  again  began  business,  and  the  poultry  flocks  of 
the  State  were  maintained  in  much  better  numbers  than  was 
anticipated. 

The  unheard-of  prices  for  egffs  and  dressed  birds  during 
the  season  of  1918  enabled  poultrymen  who  maintained  their 
flocks  to  that  period  to  recover  the  losses  which  they  had 
previously  sustained,  and  to  make  a  profit  in  addition. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1917,  and  during  the  season  of 
1918,  bulletins  and  press  articles  were  issued  from  time  to 

343 


time  urging  the  culling  of  flocks  in  order  that  the  feeding  of 
non-producers  might  be  discontinued,  and  the  productive 
average  of  flocks  increased.  Many  striking  results  were 
obtained  in  this  campaign,  in  which  the  county  agricultural 
agents  gave  the  greatest  assistance.  In  some  cases,  where 
the  agent  and  the  specialists  of  the  college  divided  a  flock 
into  two  pens,  one  supposedly  producers  and  the  other 
supposedly  non-producers,  the  yield  from  the  producing  flock 
was  virtually  the  same  as  the  yield  of  the  entire  flock  before 
the  division,  while  the  yield  from  the  non-production  pen  was 
almost  negligible.  In  one  instance  a  flock  of  160  birds  was 
culled,  and  the  production  from  the  8  birds  which  were  re- 
tained equaled  the  production  from  the  entire  flock,  while 
the  pen  of  non-producers  yielded  a  maximum  of  but  three 
eggs  a  day. 

The  Committee  on  Food  Production  further  recommended 
that  poultrymen  make  every  effort  to  produce  more  of  their 
own  feeds.  On  a  number  of  farms  where  careful  records  of 
production  costs  were  kept,  it  was  found  that  the  cost  of 
producing  a  bushel  of  corn  ranged  from  37  cents  as  a  mini- 
mum, to  $1.04  as  a  maximum.  Even  at  the  maximum,  the 
corn  grown  in  Massachusetts  cost  the  grower  much  less  than 
an  equal  amount  purchased  in  the  western  markets.  It  was 
the  conviction  of  the  Committee  that  in  the  long  run  New 
England  poultry  growing,  like  New  England  dairying,  would 
find  its  sure  foundation  only  when  the  producers  should  be- 
come in  a  measure  independent  of  purchased  supplies  of 
feeds,  depending  more  upon  the  product  of  their  own  land. 

Assistance  to  County  Farm  Bureaus.  —  The  Food  Produc- 
tion Committee,  when  first  organized,  realized  that  contact 
with  farmers  of  the  State  could  best  be  made  through  estab- 
lished agencies.  Farm  bureaus  and  county  agents  were  in 
operation  in  all  counties  except  Nantucket,  Dukes  and 
Suffolk,  but  home  demonstration  agents  were  at  work  in 
only  four  counties,  and  special  boys'  and  girls'  agricultural 
club  agents  in  only  three.  The  Committee,  therefore,  rec- 
ommended to  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  that  assist- 

344 


ance  he  provided  for  farm  bureaus,  to  enable  them  to  make 
their  work  more  effective.  The  sum  of  $35,000  was  granted 
by  the  Governor  and  Council,  and  apportioned  to  the  differ- 
ent farm  bureaus. 

County  farm  bureaus  were  organized  for  the  two  island 
counties  of  Dukes  and  Nantucket,  and  both  agricultural  and 
home  demonstration  agents  began  work  early  in  the  summer 
of  1917.  Funds  were  made  available  for  home  demonstra- 
tion agents  in  all  of  the  farm  bureaus  where  none  were  as 
yet  employed,  these  funds  being  used  as  a  basis  of  co-opera- 
tion with  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
through  the  Extension  Service  of  the  Agricultural  College. 
In  still  other  counties  employment  of  special  agents  for 
boys'  and  girls'  club  work  was  made  possible.  The  Com- 
mittee believed  that  the  war  emergency  woidd  hasten  normal 
developments  in  many  desirable  lines,  and  wished  to  assist 
or  promote  only  such  activities  as  were  not  being  developed 
by  regular  agents.  In  addition,  they  desired  to  subsidize 
permanent  agencies  for  what  would  ultimately  be  permanent 
work,  rather  than  to  create  emergency  machinery.  The 
feeling  was  that  if  home  demonstration  agents  and  boys' 
and  girls'  club  agents  were  once  established  in  the  various 
counties,  their  usefulness  would  be  so  well  recognized  that 
there  would  be  little  doubt  of  their  continuance  by  the  coun- 
ties. This  did  in  fact  take  place.  With  the  end  of  the  war 
and  the  withdrawal  of  emergency  funds  the  farm  bureaus 
themselves  decided  to  raise  revenue  for  continuing  the  work 
of  the  home  demonstration  agents  and  boys'  and  girls'  club 
agents. 

In  the  year  1918  this  subsidy  to  counties  was  continued 
where  necessary.  It  is  gratifying  to  note  that  the  majority 
of  counties  expended  less  than  the  amount  allowed  them. 

The  increased  production  of  the  State  was  in  a  very  large 
measure  attributable  to  the  work  of  the  farm  bureaus, 
through  their  help  in  publicity  and  in  assisting  farmers  to 
secure  supplies.  In  the  home  demonstration  work,  likewise, 
the  agents  of  the  farm  bureaus  were  of  great  assistance, 

345 


while  the  home  economics  leaders  of  the  Food  Administra- 
tion depended  on  farm  bureaus  for  reaching  the  more 
scattered  population  of  the  State  with  the  messages  of  con- 
servation. The  earlier  work  of  farm  bureaus  also  made 
possible  the  organization  of  the  State,  in  less  than  a  month's 
time,  with  local  emergency  committees  on  food.  Later, 
when  organization  for  food  control  became  necessary, 
the  same  machinery  was  of  great  help  to  the  county 
administrators. 

Onions.  —  The  Food  Production  Committee,  and  later 
the  Food  Administration,  was  called  on  to  assist  in  dis- 
posing of  surplus  stocks  of  onions.  For  a  short  period  in 
the  winter  of  1916-17  the  highest  speculative  price  levels 
ever  known  for  onions  had  been  reached.  Later  in  the  spring 
too  large  a  carry-over  caused  a  corresponding  slump  to  very 
low  prices,  with  a  great  supply  and  very  little  demand. 

During  the  winter  of  1917-18  onion  producers  in  the 
Connecticut  Valley  received  from  the  Food  Administration 
important  aid  in  getting  an  adequate  supply  of  heater  cars 
for  the  movement  of  the  crop,  much  of  which  would  other- 
wise have  been  wasted.  Through  the  Associated  Industries 
of  Massachusetts  many  manufacturers  were  persuaded  to 
buy  car  lots  for  distribution,  at  cost,  to  their  employees. 

In  the  autumn  of  1918  it  became  evident  that  the  onion 
crop  of  the  Connecticut  Valley  was  not  moving  as  fast  as 
it  should.  Investigation  showed  that  growers,  who  had 
been  dependent  on  speculators  to  buy  their  crop  in  peace 
time,  were  unprepared  to  carry  the  crop  and  hold  it  for 
subsequent  markets.  In  peace  time  the  buyers  habitually 
purchase  heavily  in  the  fall  because  of  the  possibility  of 
speculative  profit,  but  during  the  war,  with  all  possibility  of 
speculative  profit  removed,  purchase  was  slow  and  prices 
ruinous.  In  one  small  area  more  than  50  carloads  of  onions 
were  without  a  market,  and  85  cents  per  hundred  pounds 
was  the  highest  price  offered  for  limited  quantities,  while 
some  sales  were  made  for  75  cents  per  hundred  pounds. 
The  purchase  by  factories  of  the  Associated  Industries  group 

346 


of  several  carloads  in  this  territory  immediately  brought 
back  the  price  to  $1.40  per  hundred  pounds,  and  at  that 
figure  the  growers  about  recovered  costs  of  production. 

The  large  publicity  given  to  onions  effected  a  material, 
although  temporary,  increase  in  consumption.  Retailers 
made  no  effort  to  handle  the  commodity  when  the  permitted 
margin  of  profit  had  been  reduced  to  a  very  small  figure. 

The  large  onion  crop  of  1918,  although  excellent  in  quality, 
was  not  a  profitable  venture  to  the  farmers.  Without  the 
services  of  speculative  buyers,  producers  were  unable  to  sell 
Or  store  the  crop.  This  condition  will  continue  until  storages 
owned  and  controlled  by  the  producers  themselves  are 
available. 

Corn  Borer.  —  In  August,  1917,  the  department  of  ento- 
mology at  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  identified 
specimens  of  the  European  corn  stalk  borer,  an  insect  which 
has  done  enormous  damage  to  the  corn  plant  in  Europe, 
and  has  virtually  prevented  its  culture  in  some  sections. 
The  caterpillar  bores  up  and  down  the  stalk  of  the  plant, 
and  frequently  riddles  the  cob.  Specimens  in  the  cater- 
pillar stage  had  been  sent  to  the  college  for  identification 
earlier  in  the  season,  but  as  the  insect  was  absolutely  new 
to  this  section  of  the  country,  a  full  identification  was  not 
made  until  the  moth  was  found.  The  trouble  was  confined 
to  an  area  near  Boston,  where  gardeners  noticed  that, 
apparently  without  good  reason,  a  slight  breeze  would  blow 
down  the  entire  stand  of  sweet  corn. 

The  Food  Administration  reinforced  the  publicity  work 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  by  urging  all  household 
gardeners  to  burn  every  bit  of  garden  waste,  particularly 
corn  stalks,  and  to  attempt  the  eradication  of  certain  weeds 
known  to  harbor  the  pest.  Circulars  were  issued  and  much 
newspaper  publicity  was  secured. 

Transportation  Problems.  —  Complaints  from  farmers  and 
shippers  of  farm  products  relating  to  stray  shipments  were 
at  first  dealt  with  through  the  Sub-Committee  on  Trans- 
portation of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety.     Later  all 

347 


such  problems  were  cared  for  by  the  Division  of  Transpor- 
tation, whose  work  is  described  elsewhere  in  this  story. 

Data  were  collected  through  the  field  agents  in  marketing, 
as  to  the  use  of  motor  trucks  by  commercial  truckmen  in 
bringing  produce  to  the  community  markets.  The  depart- 
ment of  markets  at  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College 
made  this  information  the  basis  of  plans  for  the  season  of 
1919.  The  same  data  were  furnished  to  the  Committee  on 
Motor  Transport,  and  that  Committee  would  have  followed 
the  matter  further  had  not  the  termination  of  the  war  stopped 
its  activities. 

Campaign  for  Use  of  Local  Products.  -  -  In  1917,  and  again 
in  1918,  the  Committee  urged  the  county  farm  bureaus  and 
the  Food  Production  Committee  to  plan  as  far  as  possible 
for  the  absorption  of  local  produce  by  local  demand.  In 
Essex  County,  for  instance,  the  slogan  'Take  Essex 
County  out  of  the  market"  was  adopted.  Cross-hauling 
of  produce  has  always  been  a  source  of  some  economic 
waste,  although  perhaps  less  than  is  often  supposed.  It 
has  long  been  noted  that  the  suburban  towns  around 
Boston  are  traversed  through  the  produce  season  by  the 
trucks  of  farmers  from  outlying  sections;  the  produce  is 
delivered  to  wholesalers  in  Boston,  and  on  the  return,  over 
the  same  route,  to  the  suburban  consuming  centers.  Much 
was  accomplished  by  local  committees,  and  particularly  by 
the  committees  which  promoted  local  community  markets, 
to  stop  the  smaller  lots  of  produce  from  going  to  the  whole- 
sale markets.  It  will,  however,  never  be  sound  economy 
for  the  larger  producers,  who  move  and  sell  their  produce 
in  full  truckloads,  to  take  time  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
suburban  retailers. 

Canning  and  Drying.  —  The  stimulation  of  canning,  dry- 
ing and  preservation  of  household  garden  products,  was 
taken  up  particularly  by  the  Division  of  Conservation,  and 
will  be  dealt  with  under  another  heading.  Feeling  that 
further  assistance  was  desirable,  the  Committee  worked  out 
co-operative  plans  with  the  Agricultural  College  by  which 

348 


schools  for  leaders  were  held  in  various  parts  of  the  State, 
so  that  for  each  community  provision  might  be  made  for 
the  supervision  of  canning  and  drying  activities. 

During  the  first  season  "teams"  of  instructors  from  the 
college  were  organized,  and  held  extension  schools  on  can- 
ning and  preserving  at  many  centers  through  the  State. 
Special  courses  were  arranged  at  Simmons  College,  at  the 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  and  at  various  county 
agricultural  schools  and  farm  bureaus.  Upwards  of  a 
thousand  teachers  received  training  in  the  sixty  or  more 
Schools  that  were  provided.  Further  effort  was  made  to 
promote  the  establishment  of  canning  and  drying  centers 
as  community  projects.  These 'centers  furnished  valuable 
demonstration  of  successful  and  unsuccessful  practices,  and 
the  data  secured  will  be  available  to  guide  communities 
whenever  the  project  of  community  canning  and  drying 
centers  is  brought  forward. 

Canning  Supplies.  -  The  general  upset  in  manufacture 
and  transportation  caused  a  threatening  shortage  of  glass 
jars  for  canning  purposes  in  the  year  1917.  The  Committee 
on  Food  Production  and  its  Sub-Committee  on  Conservation 
urged  all  householders  of  the  State  to  locate  any  stocks  of 
glass  jars  that  had  been  in  disuse,  and  to  provide  them- 
selves early  with  adequate  supplies  of  jar  rings.  In  addition 
to  this  many  town  committees  purchased  canning  supplies 
in  car  lots,  at  a  substantial  saving  to  householders. 
It  should  be  recorded,  however,  that  the  great  ma- 
jority of  grocers  were  very  reasonable  in  their  charges  for 
supplies,  and  there  was  little  attempt  to  profiteer  on  either 
jars  or  rubbers.  Through  the  season  of  1917  a  member  of 
the  food  production  staff  was  assigned  to  the -task  of  fol- 
lowing wholesale  stocks  and  preventing  shortages  in  any 
localities. 

A  further  interesting  and  somewhat  puzzling  complication 
in  cities  came  from  the  fact  that  in  violation  of  the  law  many 
of  the  poorer  householders  utilized  milk  bottles  for  putting 
up  preserves  and  marmalades,  thereby  depleting  the  already 

349 


small  stock  of  milk  bottles  and  adding  very  substantially 
to  milkmen's  costs  of  doing  business. 

In  1918  no  particular  shortage  of  jars  threatened. 

Live-stock  Problems.  —  Because  of  the  low  prices  for  dairy 
products,  and  the  scarcity  of  labor,  many  dairy  herds  in 
Massachusetts  were  dispersed  during  the  early  period  of 
the  war.  Effort  was  made  to  show  farmers  that,  with  the 
consequent  increasing  shortage  of  dairy  products,  prices 
would  become  more  remunerative.  Little  could  be  done 
toward  the  actual  increase  of  herds,  but  the  Committee 
tried  to  prevent  further  decrease.  The  later  organization 
of  the  Federal  Milk  Commission  made  more  extended  work 
of  the  Committee  in  this  line  necessary. 

Every  effort  was  made  to  increase  the  number  of  hogs 
grown  within  the  State.  Boys'  and  girls'  pig  clubs  were 
promoted.  This  work  failed  of  large  results  because  the 
available  supply  of  pigs  was  exhausted  before  the  number 
of  householders  who  wished  to  raise  pigs  could  be  provided 
for.  In  the  spring  of  1918  the  supply  of  pigs  had  increased, 
but  at  no  time  was  it  adequate.  The  use  of  household 
garbage  for  the  feeding  of  the  family  pig  was  much  increased, 
as  is  described  elsewhere  under  the  head  of  "Garbage." 

Tobacco  Groiving.  —  The  Committee  received  many  com- 
plaints from  citizens  of  the  State,  to  the  effect  that  the  use 
of  the  best  agricultural  lands  for  the  growing  of  tobacco 
was  an  economic  waste.  The  demands  of  the  army  over- 
seas for  supplies  of  tobacco  seemed  a  sufficient  reply  to  this 
complaint.  Moreover,  the  tobacco  growers  had  sheds  and 
equipment  useful  for  no  other  purpose.  Tobacco  lands 
carried  a  high  valuation,  and  it  seemed  unjust  to  the  op- 
erators of  these  farms  to  request  the  non-profitable  opera- 
tion of  their  lands  for  the  period  of  the  war.  The  tobacco 
growers  responded  generously  by  agreeing  to  take  idle  land 
elsewhere,  and  to  raise  an  acreage  of  grain  or  staple  crops 
equal  to  the  acreage  of  tobacco  which  they  were  normally 
producing.  They  thus  made  a  direct  contribution  to  the 
food  supply  of  the  Nation. 

Machinery  Project.  —  Early   in   the   season   of    1918   the 

350 


question  of  the  wider  use  of  harvesting  and  other  machinery 
to  replace  man  power  received  much  attention.  An  in^ 
ventory  of  available  threshing  outfits  and  other  units  of 
heavy  farm  machinery  was  made  by  the  county  agents,  and 
machinery  privately  owned  was  more  fully  used  by  others 
than  the  owners. 

But  a  larger  project  was  desirable,  and  a  bill  was  intro- 
duced in  the  Legislature  of  1918  to  provide  for  the  purchase 
and  operation  by  the  State  of  heavy  agricultural  machin- 
ery, particularly  of  tractors  and  of  threshing  outfits.  An 
appropriation  of  $100,000  was  made  by  the  Legislature 
to  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  in  the  use  of  which 
the  Committee  on  Food  Production  gave  assistance.  A 
report  of  this,  specially  to  be  commended,  has  been  pub- 
lished by  the  Massachusetts  State  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. 

The  Committee  did  not  expect  the  project  to  be  self- 
supporting,  but  supposed  that  it  would  furnish  a  demon- 
stration of  the  possibilities  for  heavy  machinery,  and  would 
greatly  stimulate  private  purchase.  As  was  expected,  many 
fanners  were  led  to  buy  tractors,  as  well  as  threshing  out- 
fits and  hay  presses,  for  their  own  use.  The  Agricultural 
College  made  provision  during  the  season  of  1918-19  for 
numerous  schools  for  tractor  operators,  to  assist  farmers  in 
avoiding  the  mistakes  usually  made  by  novices  in  the  opera- 
tion of  such  machinery. 

Altogether,  the  demonstration  was  of  great  benefit  to  the 
State,  and,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Committee,  well  worth 
what  it  cost. 

Crop  Acreage  Increase.  —  At  the  close  of  the  season  of 
1918  the  county  agricultural  agents  made  a  report  to  the 
State  leader  of  farm  bureaus,  giving  the  following  results:  — 

Acres. 

Increase  in  corn, 29,000 

Increase  in  potatoes, 11,000 

Increase  in  oats, 5,000 

Increase  in  wheat,  rye  and  barley,  at  least, 5,000 

50,000 
351 


While  this  may  not  seem  noteworthy  when  compared  with 
the  increase  in  larger  agricultural  States,  it  should  be  re- 
membered that  scarcely  4  per  cent  of  the  population  of 
Massachusetts  is  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  so  that 
the  percentage  of  increase  over  former  production  shown 
by  the  figures  quoted  is  highly  significant. 

Food  Consumption  Survey.  —  Before  the  organization  of 
the  Federal  Food  Administration,  the  Sub-Committee  on 
Distribution  of  Food  recommended  a  survey  to  determine 
if  possible  the  approximate  food  requirements  of  the  State. 
In  Hampshire  County  investigations  by  the  Massachusetts 
Agricultural  College  department  of  economics  showed  that 
the  towns  of  that  county,  although  close  to  natural  sources 
of  supply,  were  yet  largely  dependent  on  food  brought  from 
a  distance  by  rail.  This  was  true  even  in  the  case  of  com- 
mon local  products.  This  investigation  brought  out,  in- 
cidentally, the  fact  that  communities  vary  much  in  their 
habits  about  food.  One  town  is  a  large  fruit-eating  town; 
another  seems  to  have  no  taste  whatever  for  fruit.  In  one 
town  consumption  of  potatoes  was  found  to  be  two  bushels 
per  capita;   in  another,  nearly  six. 

Working  from  a  different  standpoint,  the  Committee 
assigned  men  to  study  the  food  requirements  of  typical 
families  in  the  city  of  Boston,  and  through  this  effort  con- 
firmed the  Hampshire  County  estimates  of  the  average  per 
capita  consumption  of  staple  foods.  Thus  a  basis  was 
secured  for  a  rough  estimate  of  the  quantities  of  various 
foodstuffs  required  for  the  State.  The  chief  lesson  was  the 
necessity  of  keeping  open  the  lines  of  transportation  and 
the  maintenance  of  adequate  reserves  of  food  in  anticipation 
of  coming  needs. 

Milk  Production  Cost  Survey.  —  In  the  spring  and  early 
summer  of  1917  the  Committee  believed  it  important  to 
find  out  the  cost  of  milk  production  in  Massachusetts.  The 
Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  Agricultural  Committee  and 
the  Attorney-General  of  the  Commonwealth  were  already 
working  on  the  problem.     The  Chamber  of  Commerce  under- 

352 


took  to  publish  the  surveys,  both  in  the  field  of  production 
and  of  distribution.  The  Food  Production  Committee  fur- 
nished the  funds,  and,  under  a  plan  of  survey  formulated 
by  the  Agricultural  College  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
jointly,  the  college  sent  out  investigators  to  secure  data 
from  the  books  of  farmers. 

The  names  of  farmers  who  kept  account  books  were  learned 
through  the  county  agricultural  agents,  from  which  the  figures 
of  a  relatively  small  group  were  finally  selected  as  furnishing 
satisfactory  material  for  comparison  with  one  another  and 
with  data  to  be  secured  in  other  New  England  States. 

The  actual  cost  of  production  was  thus  determined  for  a 
definite  group  of  farmers,  the  average  annual  production  of 
milk  per  cow  owned  being  a  little  over  5,000  pounds.  The 
Committee  also  furnished  funds  to  secure  data  frpm  other 
States  which  supply  milk  to  Boston,  and  by  this  means  the 
investigation  was  extended  to  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Ver- 
mont and  Connecticut.  This  valuable  information  was 
compiled  and  issued  in  a  bulletin  in  season  for  the  use  of 
the  Federal  Milk  Commission  for  New  England.  Further 
details  on  the  subject  of  milk  will  be  found  in  the  section  on 
the  Federal  Milk  Commission. 

Insect  Control  Work.  —  In  the  summer  of  1917  the  Com- 
mittee felt  that  the  army  of  new  household  gardeners  were 
entitled  to  assistance  in  the  matter  of  insect  pests  and  their 
control.  Money  was  granted  to  the  Massachusetts  Agri- 
cultural College  for  two  insect  and  plant  disease  specialists, 
who  were  to  be  field  agents  assisting  city  and  town  garden 
supervisors  in  the  identification  of  pests  and  diseases,  and  in 
planning  means  for  their  control.  These  men  were  con- 
stantly in  the  field,  advising  county  agricultural  agents, 
town  garden  supervisors  and  leaders  of  agriculture.  Every 
conceivable  question  was  asked  them,  and  the  list  of  pests 
which  they  identified  is  as  impressive  as  it  is  unintelligible 
to  the  unscientific  reader.  This  preventive  work  saved 
many  times  the  cost  of  the  service,  and  left  a  permanent 
educational  effect. 

353 


In  addition  to  the  field  work  the  insect  and  plant  disease 
specialists  kept  continuous  knowledge  of  stocks  and  prices 
of  insecticides,  and  did  much  to  assist  in  securing  adequate 
supplies  at  reasonable  prices. 

Final  Recommendations  of  the  Committee.  —  At  the  last 
meeting  of  the  Committee  on  Food  Production  a  return  to 
normal  conditions  in  agriculture  was  urged.  The  weak- 
nesses of  our  present  system  had  been  so  clearly  demon- 
strated by  the  crisis  that  efforts  could  be  more  intelligently 
directed  to  correcting  them.  The  Committee  strongly  urged 
that  all  forms  of  artificial  stimulation  and  subsidy  be  aban- 
doned, and  that  the  efforts  to  increase  agricultural  produc- 
tion be  made  to  conform  to  sound  peace-time  principles  of 
agricultural  economics.  It  was  also  the  conviction  of  the 
Committee  that  the  various  agricultural  agencies  of  the 
State  were  making  excellent  use  of  the  war  experiences, 
and  that  substantial  progress  would  be  shown  during  the 
next  few  years. 

The  real  credit  for  the  increase  of  production  belongs  to 
the  farmer  who  did  the  work.  Credit  for  assisting  him 
should  go  to  all  the  agencies  which  gave  their  efforts  and 
facilities  to  render  the  problems  of  production  less  difficult. 

The  Committee  took  this  means  of  expressing  to  all  the 
co-operating  bodies  its  hearty  appreciation  of  their  efforts 
during  the  war. 

It  should  also  be  noted,  finally,  that  the  success  of  the 
Food  Administration  in  Massachusetts  was  in  a  large  meas- 
ure dependent  upon  the  public  attention  and  interest  which 
had  resulted  from  the  efforts  of  the  Massachusetts  Food 
Production  campaign  of  the  spring  of  1917.  The  entire 
Commonwealth  was  alive  to  the  fact  of  an  impending  food 
shortage,  perhaps  more  so  than  any  other  State  in  the  Union. 
The  appeals  to  patriotism  and  public  spirit  had  prepared 
the  way  for  the  message  of  conservation  and  the  measures 
of  control  which  were  later  necessary.  The  Women's  Com- 
mittee on  Conservation  had  prepared  the  way  for  the 
Woman's  National  Council  of  Defense,  which  in  turn  fur- 

354 


nished  the  basis  for  immediate  results  in  conservation  efforts 
with  householders.  The  Sub-Committee  on  Distribution 
had  initiated  many  projects  which  were  continued  without 
break  in  the  Food  Administration.  It  would,  indeed,  be 
impossible  for  those  who  have  worked  through  the  entire 
period  to  distinguish  between  the  work  of  the  earlier  Com- 
mittee and  the  work  of  the  Food  Administration,  so  fully 
did  the  two  merge,  and  so  completely  did  the  policy  of  the 
Food  Administration  carry  into  effect  the  original  plans  of 
the  Food  Production  Committee. 


(b)    Direct   Buying  and  Community  Markets 

Early  in  the  work  of  the  Food  Production  Committee, 
fear  was  expressed,  on  the  one  hand,  that  efforts  for  in- 
creased food  production  would  be  of  no  avail,  and,  on  the 
other,  that  such  emergency  production  would  glut  the 
market.  The  Committee  felt  that  a  certain  amount  of 
increased  production  would  surely  result,  and  in  the  report 
of  a  Sub-Committee  on  Distribution  the  establishment  of 
community  markets  was  urged.  These  were  planned,  pri- 
marily, for  surplus  products  of  home  gardens,  and  for  the 
products  raised  by  small  farmers  and  market  gardeners  who 
had  no  regular  and  easy  means  of  approach  to  wholesale 
markets. 

In  July,  1917,  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  in  the 
city  of  Quincy  opened  a  public  market  for  farmers  and 
gardeners  on  the  grounds  of  Adams  Academy.  This  was 
immediately  successful,  and  was  copied  at  once  by  Food 
Production  Committees  of  Lowell  and  Springfield.  Through 
the  circulation  of  a  bulletin  describing  the  Quincy  Market 
and  the  manner  of  its  administration,  wide  interest  was 
immediately  created  throughout  the  State.  Volunteer  mem- 
bers of  the  staff  in  Boston  were  assigned  to  the  promotion 
and  inspection  of  these  markets,  and  much  work  was  done. 

The  volume  of  business  varied  from  a  relatively  small 
amount  on  one  day  in  the  week  to  $3,500  a  day  in  the  larger 

355 


markets.  The  prices  were  considerably  lower  than  pre- 
vailed in  retail  stores,  and  much  of  the  material  sold  would 
have  been  wasted  without  this  outlet. 

In  September,  1917,  with  a  view  to  the  market  organiza- 
tion of  the  following  summer,  the  Food  Administration  cor 
operated  with  the  Extension  Service  of  the  Massachusetts 
Agricultural  College  in  placing  four  market  agents  in  the 
field,  who  were  assigned  to  definite  districts  of  the  State. 
During  the  winter,  communities  were  advised  as  to  the 
wisdom  of  continuing  or  discontinuing  markets,  and  were 
assisted  in  making  their  plans.  The  following  account  of 
the  community  markets  is  drawn  from  the  experience  of 
both  summers. 

State  legislation  requires  cities  and  towns  of  10,000  popu- 
lation or  over  to  designate  sites  for  farmers'  markets.  These 
sites,  and  rules  and  regulations  for  conduct  of  markets,  are 
subject  to  approval  by  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 
Although  little  had  been  done  in  this  direction  before  1917, 
the  Committee  found  this  legislation  helpful  in  compelling 
action  on  the  part  of  officials  who  either  were  not  interested, 
or  who  feared  opposition  from  local  retailers. 

Various  types  of  market  developed.  In  Quincy  there 
was  parking  space  for  forty  or  fifty  teams  and  trucks,  and 
ground  rent  was  charged.  The  Committee  also  provided  a 
community  table  with  an  agent  in  charge,  so  that  small 
quantities  of  produce  could  be  left  and  sold  by  the  agent 
for  a  commission.  The  market  was  located  in  the  center 
of  the  city  and  at  the  convergence  of  two  important  auto- 
mobile routes.  This  market  sold  or  rented  scales  to  pro- 
ducers which  had  been  sealed  by  the  Department  of  Weights 
and  Measures.  Paper  bags  were  furnished  to  farmers  at 
cost,  and  baskets  kept  on  hand  for  sale  to  consumers.  These 
small  points  added  greatly  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  market. 
The  prices  ranged  below  retail,  but  above  current  wholesale. 
On  the  morning  of  each  market  day  the  market  master 
secured  the  Boston  wholesale  prices  by  telephone,  and 
posted  them  on  a  bulletin  board.     This  public  knowledge 

356 


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made  it  safe  for  retailers  to  purchase  of  fanners  for  im- 
mediate delivery.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  Quincy 
retailers  were  not  hostile  to  this  market,  believing  that  it 
brought  people  into  the  city  who  remained  to  make  other 
purchases  in  Quincy  instead  of  in  Boston.  The  market 
did  away  in  part  with  the  former  practice  of  trucking  ma- 
terials through  Quincy  to  Boston,  to  be  sold  immediately 
to  purchasers  from  Quincy  and  then  trucked  back  again 
over  the  same  route.  It  also  saved  labor  and  time,  and 
brought  the  produce  to  the  purchaser  in  better  condition. 
,,  A  second  type  of  market  was  that  at  Kingston.  This 
Was  a  relatively  small  market,  and  catered  particularly  to 
Saturday  afternoon  automobile  travel  moving  toward  the 
Cape.  This  market  was  conducted  by  a  women's  committee, 
and  those  who  furnished  produce  and  poultry  products 
found  it  to  be  well  worth  while.  While  not  serving  the 
local  population  in  reducing  current  prices,  it  furnished  a 
profitable  outlet  for  a  certain  volume  of  produce. 

Still  a  third  type  developed  in  Boston.  The  deputy 
commissioner  of  markets  interested  himself  in  learning  of 
farmers  who  would  provide  a  regular  supply,  and  with 
approval  from  the  Board  of  Agriculture  fixed  on  six  market 
sites  in  densely  populated  parts  of  the  city.  The  market 
was  held  one  day  each  week  at  four  of  the  sites,  and  two 
days  a  week  at  the  others.  The  prices  realized  were  con- 
siderably lower  than  prevailing  retail  prices,  but  above 
wholesale  prices,  this  being  possible  because  of  the  very 
great  spread.  In  Central  Square,  East  Boston,  on  the 
first  market  day  the  price  of  sweet  corn  to  the  consumer 
was  reduced  from  35  cents  per  dozen  ears  to  20  cents  per 
dozen  ears;  and  although  the  supply  consisted  of  several 
truck  loads,  it  was  quickly  exhausted.  Similar  results  were 
secured  elsewhere  within  the  city.  In  Boston,  opposition 
on  the  part  of  retailers  developed  much  more  than  in  Quincy, 
but  the  demand  of  consumers  for  this  service  was  very 
insistent.  Reaction  on  both  wholesale  and  retail  markets 
was  noticeable.     Retail  prices  which  had  been  so  high  as 

357 


to  diminish  demand  were  brought  down  to  lower  levels, 
with  a  heavy  increase  in  volume  of  sales.  Unwillingness 
of  retailers  to  buy  from  wholesalers  had  caused  gluts  to  a 
ruinous  level.  Diversion  of  produce  from  the  wholesale 
markets  to  direct  community  markets  brought  increased 
demand.  In  one  instance  a  producer  who  was  offered  $15 
for  a  load  of  cabbage  in  the  Boston  wholesale  district  traveled 
to  Cambridge,  and  in  less  than  two  hours  sold  the  entire 
load  for  $60,  quadrupling  his  gross  returns,  and  at  the  same 
time  placing  the  product  in  the  hands  of  the  consumer  at 
much  less  than  the  retail  price. 

In  Framingham  a  different  development  came  through 
the  unwillingness  of  farmers  to  spend  time  in  selling.  There 
an  agent  was  employed  to  sell  the  products  of  the  entire 
group,  so  that  the  establishment  came  to  resemble  a  general 
provision  store. 

In  Gardner  the  farmers  were  sufficiently  interested  to 
call  for  a  winter  market,  which  was  open  each  week,  with 
the  result  that  one  farmer  alone  disposed  of  $1,200  worth 
of  apples  and  winter  root  crops.  At  the  close  of  the  1918 
season  the  Springfield  producers  rented  a  store  and  planned 
to  continue  direct  retail  selling  as  a  permanent  venture. 
In  other  sections  the  local  indoor  market  was  developed, 
and  the  experience  of  the  past  two  years  seemed  to  in- 
dicate that  the  most  valuable  developments  of  the  work 
in  the  future  would  be  in  the  line  of  wholesale  business. 

The  markets  were  particularly  successful  in  cities  where 
a  large  foreign  population  was  accustomed  to  use  less  meat 
and  more  vegetables  in  the  regular  diet;  but  everywhere,  to 
the  end,  quality  and  prices  attracted  purchasers.  By  far 
the  most  difficult  problem  was  to  create  interest  among 
producers.  It  seemed  an  economic  fallacy  for  fifteen  to 
thirty  producers  to  spend  their  time  selling  in  competition 
with  each  other  at  a  single  market.  Many  farmers,  short 
of  help,  needed  their  own  and  their  men's  time  for  their 
regular  farm  work.  But  the  consumers'  enormous  demands 
made  sales  so  rapid  that  this  fear  on  the  part  of  the  farmers 

358 


was  quickly  removed.  In  many  eases  the  time  spent  in 
selling  produce  at  markets  just  outside  of  Boston  was  not 
greater  than  the  time  which  it  would  have  taken  to  dispose 
of  a  load  in  the  Boston  wholesale  district.  In  many  of  the 
markets,  on  busy  days,  producers  provided  a  continuous 
supply,  bringing  in  several  truck  loads  in  a  single  day.  By 
confining  the  market  to  two  or  three  days  a  week,  and 
placing  in  charge  of  the  selling  men  and  boys  not  physically 
fit  to  do  heavy  work  in  production,  it  was  possible  to  fore- 
stall much  criticism. 

,(  Another  fear  of  the  farmers,  and  by  no  means  a  groundless 
1  one,  was  that  they  would  be  boycotted  by  wholesalers  if 
they  sold  direct  in  the  community  markets.  This  fear  was 
soon  forgotten  after  the  Food  Administration  let  it  be  known 
that  pressure  of  this  sort  would  be  ground  for  prosecution 
under  the  Food  Control  Act,  which  prohibited  action  re- 
sulting in  unnecessary  or  unreasonable  charges,  and  re- 
quired that  commodities  move  in  as  direct  a  line  as  possible 
to  consumers. 

The  attitude  of  retailers  varied  greatly.  In  many  in- 
stances the  retailers  showed  a  thoroughly  patriotic  spirit 
in  furthering  the  interests  of  direct  markets.  Others  were 
antagonistic,  on  the  ground  that  dealers  who  expected  to 
provide  this  service  the  entire  year,  and  particularly  in 
the  winter  when  volume  was  small  and  loss  great,  should 
be  depended  on  for  handling  the  large  summer  trade.  In 
some  cases  a  definite  attempt  was  made  to  provide  fanners' 
wholesale  markets  to  which  retailers  might  come  for  supplies. 
Soma  retailers  felt  that  the  increased  sales  of  other  supplies 
offset  any  loss,  and  some  reported  that  the  actual  volume 
of  their  sales  was  materially  increased  on  the  days  of  the 
farmers'  markets. 

The  opinion  of  most  of  those  who  had  wide  experience 
of  these  markets  is  that  many  of  them  could  wisely  be 
maintained  in  peace  times,  but  that  direct  farmers'  markets 
cannot  expect  success  as  a  permanent  institution  unless 
certain   conditions   are  met.     A   substantial   buying  group 

359 


and  an  adequate  and  regular  supply  must  be  available. 
The  quality  must  be  good,  because  as  a  rule  the  group  that 
patronizes  such  a  market  includes  the  most  discerning  and 
careful  buyers  of  the  community.  If  the  market  is  whole- 
sale, retailers  must  be  able  to  secure'  their  entire  require- 
ments, and  prices  must  take  into  account  the  nearest  com- 
peting wholesale  market.  Retail  prices  to  consumers  must 
be  low  enough  to  be  attractive,  considering  quality. 

Direct  farmers'  markets  should  be  conducted  strictly  on 
a  business  basis.  Business  expenses,  such  as  the  salary  of 
the  market  master,  the  cost  of  materials,  and  incidental 
expenses,  should  be  met  by  a  charge  on  those  who  sell. 
Subsidy  by  Committees  on  Public  Safety  and  city  and  town 
governments  was  frequent  during  the  war,  and  as  a  war- 
time measure  was  wholly  justified,  but  would  be  undesirable 
under  normal  conditions. 

Two  other  factors  should  be  considered.  If  existing 
wholesale  markets  are  adequate  to  take  care  of  the  produce 
of  the  section,  and  if  retail  prices  are  reasonable,  a  farmers' 
market  is  unnecessary.  If  the  supply  were  to  become 
much  greater  than  the  demand,  the  market  would  be  glutted, 
and  ruinously  low  prices  result. 

The  providing  of  ground  rent  free  for  farmers  who  sell 
in  competition  with  retailers  has  led  to  a  feeling  that  farm- 
ers ought  to  hire  a  site  on  private  land  and  conduct  their 
venture  like  any  other  private  enterprise;  yet  much  can 
be  said  on  the  other  side  of  the  question  and  in  favor  of 
such  a  subsidy.  In  Europe,  and  in.  many  cities  of  the 
United  States,  provision  is  made  at  public  expense  for  direct 
marketing. 

To  sum  up,  the  farmers'  markets  in  Massachusetts  fur- 
nished useful  outlets  in  periods  of  glut;  they  substantially 
increased  consumption  of  vegetables;  in  most  cases  prices 
to  consumers  were  lower  and  the  vegetables  in  fresher  con- 
dition; and  in  the  Boston  district,  particularly,  the  whole- 
sale market  was  relieved  of  some  burdensome  supplies. 
Home  garden  supplies  and  small  farm  supplies  were  handled 

300 


by  the  emergency  markets,  so  that  the  wholesale  channels 
were  kept  clear  for  regular  commercial  producers.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  several  of  the  experts  working  with  the 
market-garden  industry  felt  that  increased  consumption  of 
produce  absorbed  increased  local  production;  also  that  the 
conditions  of  glut  at  times  prevailing  in  the  Boston  market 
in  the  season  of  1918,  and  during  the  following  winter,  were 
not  due  to  production  by  emergency  gardeners,  but  would 
have  come  in  any  case  because  of  normal  commercial  over- 
production exceeding  the  normal  demand. 


'< 


3G1 


CHAPTER  IV 

CONSERVATION   AND   PUBLICITY 

(a)    Home  Economics 

The  entire  conservation  work  of  the  Food  Administration 
is  here  detailed  in  close  connection  with  the  women's  work, 
which  centered  in  the  office  of  Mrs.  Thayer,  the  director  of 
home  economics.  In  most  cases  members  of  Mr.  Endi- 
cott's  office  staff  were  much  occupied  with  the  work  de- 
scribed. In  some  instances  by  far  the  larger  part,  or  even 
the  whole,  of  the  responsibility  rested  with  them;  in  other 
cases  the  reverse  was  true.  The  two  offices  worked,  indeed, 
as  part  of  one  organization,  and  it  would  be  impossible  as 
well  as  profitless  to  try  to  record  their  respective  shares  in 
each  undertaking.  It  is  only  just,  however,  to  treat  all 
this  great  section  of  conservation  as  primarily  pertaining 
to  the  department  of  the  home  economics  director  and  her 
organized  host  of  the  women  of  Massachusetts. 

Director  of  Home  Economics 

Organization  of  Women's  Work.  —  The  women's  food 
work  in  Massachusetts  was  started  in  March,  1917,  by  the 
appointment  of  a  Food  Conservation  Committee,  with 
Dean  Sarah  Louise  Arnold  of  Simmons  College  as  chairman, 
this  Committee  being  a  sub-committee  of  President  Butter- 
field's  Committee  on  Food  Production  and  Conservation 
associated  with  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public 
Safety.  In  June,  1917,  when  the  Massachusetts  Woman's 
Committee,  Council  of  National  Defense,  was  established, 
with  Mrs.  Thayer  as  chairman,  Dean  Arnold  was  appointed 
chairman  of  Food  Conservation  and  Production  for  the 
Woman's  Committee,  thus  uniting  the  women's  food  work 
already  under  way  with  that  proposed  by  the  new  organ- 

362 


ization.  In  August,  1917,  when  Mr.  Endicott  was  ap- 
pointed Massachusetts  Food  Administrator,  Mrs.  Thayer 
and  Dean  Arnold  were  appointed  home  economics  directors 
for  Massachusetts. 

In  continuance  of  work  already  begun,  local  committees 
of  women  on  food  conservation  and  home  economics  were 
organized  in  two  hundred  and  nine  of  the  towns  of  the 
Commonwealth.  The  chairman  of  each  of  these  committees 
was  made  responsible  to  the  chairman  of  the  local  unit  of 
the  Woman's  Council  of  National  Defense,  who  were  them- 
'selvcs  directly  responsible  to  Mrs.  Thayer. 

A  large  and  constant  supervision  was  given  to  these  local 
food  committees  by  Miss  Arnold,  through  visits  to  a  great 
number  of  the  towns  and  frequent  consultation  with  the 
chairmen  at  her  office  in  Boston.  A  large  general  com- 
mittee, under  Miss  Arnold  as  chairman,  for  developing 
various  branches  of  the  work,  was  organized  and  continued 
to  hold  meetings  until  her  withdrawal  to  take  up  work  in 
Washington. 

In  the  autumn  of  1917  a  Home  Economics  Committee 
was  established  by  Mrs.  Thayer  in  order  to  bring  together 
in  regular  consultation  a  number  of  persons  engaged  in 
different  branches  of  the  work.  The  committee  met  once  a 
fortnight  on  alternate  Thursday  afternoons,  and  consisted  of 
the  following  members :  — 

Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer,  Home  Economics  Director,  Chairman. 

Prof.  James  H.  Ropes,  Secretary. 

Dean  Sarah  Louise  Arnold,  Chairman  of  State  Food  Committee. 

Pres.  Kenyon  L.  Butterfield,  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  Amherst. 

Miss  Laura  B.  Comstock,  State  Leader  for  Home  Economics  Extension 
Workers  in  Counties. 

Z.  C.  Dickinson. 

Mrs.  Malcolm  Donald,  Chairman  of  Food  Committee,  Woman's  Council 
of  National  Defense. 

George  H.  Ellis,  Vice-Chairman,  Committee  on  Food  Production. 

Henry  B.  Endicott. 

Mrs.  Herbert  J.  Gurney,  Yice-Chairman  of  Massachusetts  Woman's  Com- 
mittee of  the  Council  of  National  Defense;  President,  Massachusetts 
Federation  of  Women's  Clubs. 

363 


Miss  Louise  Pryor,  Agent  in  Charge  of  Vocational  Work  for  Girls  and 

Women. 
Miss  Antoinette  Hoof,  State  Leader  for  Home  Economics'  Extension  Work 

in  Cities. 
Miss  Frances  Stern,  Specialist  on  Food  for  the  Industrial  Worker. 

This  committee  did  not  in  general  undertake  executive 
and  administrative  work,  but  was  of  far-reaching  impor- 
tance in  keeping  in  full  mutual  understanding  different 
organizations  whose  co-operation  was  essential  to  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  work  in  Massachusetts.  Apart  from  this 
committee,  also,  but  partly  in  consequence  of  its  existence 
and  meetings,  the  representatives  of  these  organizations 
were  in  constant  communication  with  Mrs.  Thayer  and 
with  each  other. 

Early  in  1918  Miss  Arnold  was  requested  by  the  United 
States  Food  Administration  to  take  up  work  in  Washington 
and  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  traveling  widely  and 
making  public  addresses.  Her  place  as  chairman  of  the 
Food  Conservation  and  Production  Committees  of  the 
Massachusetts  Woman's  Committee  of  the  Council  of  Na- 
tional Defense  was  filled  by  Mrs.  Thayer's  appointment  of 
Mrs.  Malcolm  Donald,  who  had  been  chairman  of  the 
Household  Economics  Committee  of  the  National  Civic 
Federation.  Mrs.  Donald,  although  technically  an  officer 
of  the  Woman's  Council  of  National  Defense  rather  than 
of  the  Food  Administration,  became  to  all  intents  and 
purposes  an  officer  of  the  latter,  with  an  office  at  the  State 
House.  Her  official  status  in  the  Food  Administration  was 
that  of  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Food 
Administration. 

The  picture  of  the  organization  would  not  be  complete 
without  repeating  here  what  is  elsewhere  stated,  that  the 
whole  force  of  county  home  economics  agents,  working 
under  Miss  Laura  B.  Comstock  of  the  Massachusetts  Agri- 
cultural College,  as  State  leader  of  county  agents,  and  the 
whole  force  of  the  emergency  home  economics  leaders  for 
cities,  working  under  Miss  Antoinette  Roof,  State  leader  of 

364 


this  work,  were  at  all  times  brought  into  the  closest  relation 
with  the  United  States  and  Massachusetts  Food  Adminis- 
tration. These  workers  were  regarded,  and  regarded  them- 
selves, as  an  integral  part  of  the  Food  Administration, 
although  in  every  respect  their  administrative  independ- 
ence, under  the  supervising  officials  duly  appointed,  was 
maintained.  Under  these  agents  and  leaders  a  large  num- 
ber of  local  workers  and  demonstrators  were  constantly 
active. 

In  the  spring  of  1918  a  State  leader  of  volunteer  college 
■  workers  was  authorized  bv  the  United  States  Food  Ad- 
ministration,  and  Miss  Ada  Comstock,  dean  of  Smith  Col- 
lege, was  appointed  to  this  position  by  Mr.  Endicott  and 
Mrs.  Thayer. 

The  daily  routine  of  the  office  included  such  matters  as 
these :  — 

Correspondence  dealing  with  complaints  and  with  requests  for  technical 

information. 
Information  bureau  for  the  general  public. 
Arranging  for  and  sending  speakers. 
Constant  directions  to  food  chairmen,  teachers  and  private  organizations, 

such  as  churches,  women's  clubs,  etc. 
Daily  writing  of  newspaper  publicity. 
Informal  conferences  with  State,  county  and  city  leaders. 

From  the  first,  a  great  number  of  leaflets,  posters  and 
bulletins  and  a  large  amount  of  other  printed  material  were 
distributed  through  many  channels.  After  February,  1918, 
when  a  more  careful  account  began  to  be  kept,  8,180,000 
pieces  of  printed  matter  were  sent  out.  For  this  purpose 
use  was  made  of  churches,  clubs  and  miscellaneous  gather- 
ings; the  county  food  administrators  (men  and  women); 
the  city  leaders  and  county  home  demonstration  agents; 
also  the  four  hundred  libraries  of  the  State,  with  the  aid  of 
Miss  Edith  Guerrier,  library  director,  and  her  representa- 
tive Mrs.  Libbey  at  the  Food  Facts  Cottage,  and  others. 
Small  "envelope  enclosures"  were  sent  out  with  all  circular 
letters,  and  distributed  with  the  bills  and  pay  envelopes  of 

365 


a  number  of  great  industrial  and  public  service  corporations. 
A  "literature  room"  was  maintained  at  the  State  House 
under  the  direction  of  Miss  Louise  W.  Jackson,  and  similar 
service  was  rendered  by  the  Food  Facts  Bureau. 

For  the  needs  of  the  foreign-speaking  population,  seven 
of  the  series  of  food  leaflets  on  the  use  of  corn,  oats,  milk, 
food  for  children,  etc.,  provided  by  the  government,  were 
each  translated  into  eleven  languages,  —  Armenian,  Finnish, 
French,  Greek,  Italian,  Lithuanian,  Polish,  Portuguese, 
Swedish,  Syrian  and  Yiddish,  —  and  of  these,  820,000  copies 
were  distributed.  During  the  latter  part  of  1918  plans 
were  in  hand  for  a  still  larger  issue  in  foreign  languages. 

The  work  of  the  office  centered  largely  in  a  long  series  of 
special  efforts,  more  or  less  protracted  in  the  several  in- 
stances, but  covering  the  whole  period.  The  subjects  of 
these  campaigns  were  as  follows :  — 


1. 

Hoover  pledge  card. 

11. 

Using  up  corn  meal. 

2. 

White  breadless  days. 

12. 

Flour  card. 

3. 

Wheatless  and  meatless  days. 

13. 

Absolutely  wheatless. 

4. 

Fish. 

14. 

Beef  conservation. 

5. 

Corn  meal. 

15. 

Canning  and  drying. 

6. 

Fats. 

16. 

Milk. 

7. 

Potato. 

17. 

Storage  of  vegetables. 

8. 

Posters. 

18. 

Cottage  cheese. 

9. 

Liberty  bread. 

19. 

Fruit  pits  and  nut  shells 

10. 

Canning  and  food  centers. 

In  these  campaigns  a  great  variety  of  methods  were  em- 
ployed, as  the  occasion  suggested  and  required.  Publicity 
was  secured  through  newspapers  of  every  type,  with  the 
aid  of  volunteer  women  publicity  agents  and  others.  Leaf- 
lets and  pamphlets  specially  prepared  in  Massachusetts 
were  issued,  as  follows:  — 

"The  Why  and  the  Wherefore  of  the  Food  Administration." 

"Food  Conservation  and  Production  Work  for  Churches,  Synagogues  and 

Lodges." 
"Canning  without  Sugar." 
"Apple  Butter." 


360 


"Plan  for  Conservation  of  Wheat." 

"How  to  Live  without  Wheat." 

"Eat  Potatoes  instead  of  Bread." 

"Use  More  Milk." 

"Corn  Meal  is  cheaper  than  Wheat  Flour." 

"Milk  is  the  Best  All-round  Food." 

"How  to  Cook  Fish." 

Special  posters  were  printed  and  widely  exhibited,  and 
through  the  efficiency  of  the  State  merchant  representative 
great  quantities  of  posters  were  brought  before  the  public 
in  stores,  as  well  as  in  factories,  railroad  stations  and  hotels 
by  the  aid  of  the  Associated  Industries  of  Massachusetts; 
also  through  clubs,  and  by  direct  distribution  at  the  State 
House,  to  individuals.  To  agencies  already  mentioned 
leaflets  were  sent  in  quantity  for  local  distribution.  Cir- 
cular letters  were  dispatched  to  churches,  newspapers,  clubs, 
hotels,  grocers,  libraries,  schools  and  private  organizations. 
Slips  were  attached  to  their  menus  by  hotels  and  restaurants. 
In  the  potato  campaign  a  fairy  story  and  an  allegorical  play, 
prepared  in  Washington,  were  sent  out  to  schools.  An  out- 
line for  study  of  questions  was  used  in  many  women's  clubs. 
A  poster  contest  was  held,  with  the  aid  of  the  Normal  Art 
School. 

The  moving-picture  houses  of  the  State  lent  their  aid 
freely,  and  slides  with  a  food  conservation  message  were 
exhibited,  each  for  a  week  or  more,  on  the  following  topics :  — 


Sugar  Ration. 

Wheat  Ration  per  Person. 

Canning  and  Preserving. 


Use  Fancy  Meats. 
Eat  Cottage  Cheese. 
Save  Food  for  Humanitv, 


Outdoor  pictures  and  appeals  also  attracted  the  attention 
of  large  crowds  during  the  summer  of  1918  at  the  Food 
Administration  Cottage  on  Boston  Common. 

Elaborate  plans  were  made,  and,  as  described  elsewhere, 
partly  carried  out  for  exhibits  through  the  State.  The 
largest  achievements  were  those  of  the  electric  car  and  the 
demonstration  truck,  the  store-window  exhibits  devised  and 

367 


energetically  pushed  by  the  State  merchant  representative 
and  his  local  agents,  and  the  library  exhibits. 

Speakers  were  provided  for  a  great  number  and  variety 
of  public  meetings  and  clubs;  one  interesting  work  was  a 
series  of  talks  to  cooks  at  employment  offices. 

For  home  conservation  demonstrations  of  actual  processes 
were  important.  These  were  carried  on  incessantly,  chiefly 
under  the  direction  of  the  county  home  demonstration 
agents  and  city  leaders;  and  also  in  other  ways,  notably  by 
the  Conservation  Cottages  on  Boston  Common,  the  wheat- 
less  and  sugarless  demonstration  electric  car,  the  motor 
truck,  and  at  Liberty  Bread  Shops  and  large  stores.  To 
this  class  of  work  belong  the  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
canning  centers  established  in  the  State. 

Particular  mention  should  be  made  of  two  enterprises 
already  referred  to.  An  electric  car  was  equipped  and 
maintained  at  the  expense  of  Mrs.  A.  Lawrence  Hopkins, 
and  sent  over  lines  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  Its 
puipose  was  to  stimulate  interest  in  the  conservation  of 
wheat,  to  teach  how  to  make  wTheatless  bread,  to  show 
methods  of  economizing  in  sugar,  and  to  give  instructions 
in  the  care  and  feeding  of  children.  In  forty-seven  days 
57  towns  and  cities  were  visited,  and  nearly  9,000  persons 
reached  in  a  most  effective  way. 

Similar  was  the  work  done  in  the  city  of  Boston  by  the 
demonstration  truck,  made  possible  by  the  gift  of  Mrs.  J. 
Montgomery  Sears.  This  was  in  activity  for  two  months, 
in  which  time  sixty  demonstrations  were  given  and  the  same 
number  of  talks  on  child  welfare.  It  was  estimated  that 
6,500  persons  were  reached  through  this  means. 

Cottages  on  Common.  —  From  May  1  to  October  1,  1918, 
five  Conservation  Cottages  were  kept  in  operation  on  Boston 
Common,  near  the  Tremont  Street  Mall  and  about  opposite 
West  Street.  Charmingly  grouped,  and  surrounded  by  a 
demonstration  vegetable  garden,  these  inexpensive  cottages 
were  the  focus  of  a  varied  and  most  effective  work.  In  the 
center   stood   the   Food   Administration   Cottage,    where   a 

368 


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volunteer  was  always  present  to  answer  questions,  and  in 
which  lectures,  meetings  and  exhibitions  (for  instance,  the 
poster  contest  exhibition)  were  held.  A  porch  of  this  cot- 
tage provided  for  the  exhibits  and  other  work  of  the  Women's 
Municipal  League. 

In  a  second  cottage  the  Food  Facts  Bureau,  supported 
by  the  Women's  City  Club  of  Boston,  distributed  literature 
and  information  about  food,  clothing  and  fuel;  kept  a 
permanent  file  of  printed  materials;  and  maintained  a 
well-informed  staff  to  answer  questions.  To  this  cottage 
,19,723  persons  came;  and  from  it  248,766  leaflets  were  sent 
out,  with  other  printed  matter. 

The  third  building  (opened  June  4J  was  the  Children's 
Cottage  of  the  Women's  Food  Committee  of  the  Boston 
Committee  on  Public  Safety.  Here  23,250  persons  received 
information  and  instruction  about  child  welfare  through 
exhibits,  consultation  with  experts,  and  printed  material. 
Of  the  last,  69,750  pieces  were  distributed. 

The  National  Civic  Federation  erected  and  maintained 
the  fourth  cottage,  which  was  well  equipped  for  cookery 
demonstrations,  held  twice  daily.  In  all,  37  demonstrators 
gave  instructions  here,  at  220  demonstrations,  to  32,000 
persons. 

The  fifth  cottage  was  that  of  the  Red  Cross,  where  Red 
Cross  activities  of  all  kinds  were  exhibited  and  literature 
to  the  amount  of  45,000  pieces  distributed.  The  visitors 
numbered  20,000. 

Mention  may  well  be  made  here  of  the  influenza  work  of 
the  Women's  Home  Economics'  office,  and  of  its  established 
agencies  through  the  State,  in  setting  up  emergency  can- 
teens, 136  in  number,  for  supplying  food  to  nurses,  doctors 
and  families. 

Besides  the  activities  for  which  the  administration  was 
directly  responsible,  it  was  able  to  co-operate  with  the 
Red  Cross  Lunch  Room  and  with  the  Liberty  Bread  Shops. 
The  latter,  provided  for  by  Mrs.  Augustus  Hemenway,  and 
managed  by  a  committee  of  ladies,  consisted  of  a  central 

369 


shop  with  bakery  at  35  Huntington  Avenue,  and  five 
branches  in  different  parts  of  the  city.  War  bread  was 
here  made  and  sold,  free  instructions  in  making  it  given 
to  bakers  and  householders,  and  bread  recipes  sold.  In 
September,  1918,  the  ovens  and  equipment  of  the  kitchen 
were  transferred  to  Prof.  Lawrence  J.  Henderson  of  Harvard 
University  for  his  Food  Administration  experiments  in  the 
baking  of  bread. 

The  daily  routine  of  the  Home  Economics  office  became 
well  established  in  June,  1917,  and  continued,  uninterrupted 
but  occasionally  expanded,  until  the  need  of  further  con- 
servation work  ceased.  A  calendar  showing  the  course  of 
conservation  effort  during  the  whole  period  from  March, 
1917,  to  January,  1919,  may  be  found  in  the  Appendix 
(page  580). 

(b)    Canning  without  Sugar 

By  a  cruel  coincidence,  the  sugar  shortage  of  1918  became 
most  acute  at  just  the  time  when  sugar  was  sorely  needed 
to  aid  the  conservation  program  by  its  use  in  preserving 
fruits,  and  so  preventing  waste  of  good  food.  The  Federal 
Food  Administration  tried  to  obviate  the  difficulty  as  best 
it  could  by  adjusting  the  allotment  of  supplies  of  sugar. 
But  other  steps  were  also  necessary. 

Fortunately  the  fruit  products  department  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  College  had  already  been  making  ex- 
tensive experiments  in  the  field,  and  had  found  that  heavy 
syrups  had  been  habitually  used  where  lighter  ones  would 
accomplish  the  same  results.  In  tests  with  consumers' 
groups,  where  samples  were  submitted  for  judgment,  it  was 
found  that  for  some  fruits  a  20  to  25  per  cent  syrup  was 
quite  as  acceptable  as  one  containing  50  to  60  per  cent  of 
sugar.  It  was  further  proved  that  fruits  and  berries  which 
had  ordinarily  been  preserved  with  sugar  would  be  equally 
well  preserved  by  sterilization,  and  that  the  sugar  might 
be  added  later  at  the  time  of  use. 

370 


In  addition  to  an  active  propaganda  for  these  ideas  through 
the  usual  publicity  channels,  an  excellent  bulletin,  "Canning 
without  Sugar,"  and  another  on  "Apple  Butter"  were  issued 
in  co-operation  with  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College. 
The  result  was  a  saving  of  a  large  amount  of  fruit  which 
would  otherwise  have  gone  to  waste  for  lack  of  sugar. 

(c)    The  Food  Administration  Home  Card,   1917  18 

From  the  first  it  was  Mr.  Hoover's  intention  to  appeal  to 
householders  rather  than  to  coerce  them.  In  order  to  fur- 
nish information  as  to  what  the  Food  Administration  wished, 
"home  cards"  were  prepared  for  distribution  to  every 
household  in  the  United  States.  The  first  card,  distributed 
in  1917,  was  sent  out  through  a  commercial  mailing  house 
to  a  list  of  names  furnished  by  the  State  Food  Adminis- 
tration, which  secured  them  through  the  local  committees. 
These  home  cards  reached  only  the  majority,  by  no  means 
the  whole,  of  the  householders  in  the  State. 

With  the  home  card  went  a  pledge  card,  and  the  house- 
holders who  signed  the  pledge  were  entitled  to  display  a 
window  card  and  buy  a  pin  bearing  the  seal  of  the  Food 
Administration.  These  insignia  manifested  that  the  house- 
holder had  promised  loyally  to  follow  the  Food  Adminis- 
tration requirements,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Food  Ad- 
ministration. The  distribution  of  these,  however,  was  not 
thoroughly  successful.     A  copy  of  the  home  card  follows:  — 


371 


Hang  this  in  Your  Kitchen. 

UNITED   STATES   FOOD   ADMINISTRATION 
Home  Card  1918 


Trade  \\  here  \  ou  See  1  his  i'''']ffif%^\  Ea1  ^  here  5  ""  See  Thia 

Emblem  UPllillFilf  Emblfim 


WHAT  YOU  CAN   DO  TO  HELP  WIN  THIS  WAR 

See  other  side  showing  WHY  you  should  do  it 

Our  problem  is  to  feed  the  Allies  and  our  own  soldiers  abroad  by  sending 
them  as  much  food  as  we  can  of  the  most  concentrated  nutritive  value  in  the 
least  shipping  space.    These  foods  are  wheat,  beef,  pork,  butter  and  sugar. 

Our  solution  is  to  eat  less  of  these  and  as  little  of  all  foods  as  will  support 
health  and  strength.    All  saving  counts  for  victory. 

The  Food  Administration  asks  every  loyal  American  to  help  win  the  war 
by  maintaining  rigidly,  as  a  minimum  of  saving,  the  following  program:  — 

Have  two  wheatless  days  (Monday  and  Wednesday)  in  every  week,  and 
one  wheatless  meal  in  every  day. 

Explanation.  —  On  "wheatless"  days  and  in  "wheatless"  meals  of  other  days 
use  no  crackers,  pastry,  macaroni,  breakfast  food  or  other  cereal  food  containing 
wheat,  and  use  no  wheat  flour  in  any  form  except  the  small  amount  that  may  be 
needed  for  thickening  soups  or  gravies,  or  for  a  binder  in  corn  bread  and  other 
cereal  breads.  As  to  bread,  if  you  bake  it  at  home,  use  other  cereals  than  wheat, 
and  if  you  buy  it,  buy  only  war  bread.  Our  object  is,  that  we  should  buy  and  con- 
sume one-third  less  wheat  products  than  we  did  last  year. 

Have  one  meatless  day  (Tuesday)  in  every  week  and  one  meatless  meal 
in  every  day.  Have  two  porkless  days  (Tuesday  and  Saturday)  in  every 
week. 

Explanation. —  "Meatless"  means  without  any  cattle,  hog  or  sheep  products. 
On  other  days  use  mutton  and  lamb  in  preference  to  beef  or  pork.  "Porkless" 
means  without  pork,  bacon,  ham,  lard  or  pork  products,  fresh  or  preserved.  Use 
fish,  poultry  and  eggs.  As  a  Nation  we  eat  and  waste  nearly  twice  as  much  meat 
as  we  need. 

Make  every  day  a  fat-saving  day  (butter,  lard,  lard  substitutes,  etc.). 

Explanation.  —  Fry  less;  bake,  broil,  boil  or  stew  foods  instead.  Save  meat 
drippings;  use  these  and  vegetable  oils  for  cooking  instead  of  butter.  Butter  has 
food  values  vital  to  children;  therefore,  give  it  to  them.  Use  it  only  on  the  table. 
Waste  no  soap;  it  is  made  from  fat.  Be  careful  of  all  fats.  We  use  and  waste  two 
and  a  half  times  as  much  fat  as  we  need. 

372 


Make  every  day  a  sugar-saving  day. 

Explanation.  Use  less  sugar.  Less  sweel  drinks  and  candy  containing  sugar 
should  be  used  in  war  time.  As  a  Nation  we  have  used  twice  as  much  sugar  as  we 
need. 

(Jse  fruits,  vegetables  and  potatoes  abundantly. 

Explanation.  —  These  foods  are  healthful  and  plentiful,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
partly  take  the  place  of  other  foods  which  we  must  save.  Raise  all  you  can  for 
home  use. 

Use  milk  wisely. 

Explanation.  —  Use  all  of  the  milk;  waste  no  part  of  it.  The  children  musl  have 
whole  milk.     Use  sour  and  skim  milk  in  cooking  and  for  cottage  cheese. 

U  Hoarding  food.  Any  one  buying  and  holding  a  larger  supply  of  food  now 
than  in  peace  time,  except  foods  canned,  dried  or  preserved  in  the  home,  is 
helping  to  defeat  the  Food  Administration  in  its  attempt  to  secure  a  just 
distribution  of  food  and  the  establishment  of  fair  prices.  The  food  hoarder 
is  working  against  the  common  good  and  even  against  the  very  safety  of  the 
country.  Hoarding  food  in  households  is  both  selfish  and  unnecessary;  the 
government  is  protecting  the  food  supply  of  its  people. 

Loyalty  in  little  things  is  the  foundation  of  the  national  strength.  DIS- 
LOYALTY IN  LITTLE  THINGS  GIVES  AID  TO  THE  ENEMY.  KEEP 
THE  PLEDGE. 

Do  not  limit  the  food  of  growing  children. 

Eat  sufficient  food  to  maintain  health;  the  Nation  needs  strong  people. 

Co-operate  with  your  local  and  Federal  Food  Administrators.    Take  their  advice. 

Preach  and  practice  the  "gospel  of  the  clean  plate." 

Housekeepers  should  help  the  stores  to  cut  down  deliveries. 

Use  local  supplies;  this  saves  railroad  transportation. 

Report  to  the  nearest  Food  Administration  officer  the  name  and  address  of  any 
person  discouraging  the  production  or  saving  of  food. 


UNITED   STATES    FOOD   ADMINISTRATION 


Why  we  must  save  Food 
See  other  side  showing  HOW  we  can  do  it 


To  the  Members  of  the  United  States  Food  Administration. 

The  men  of  the  Allied  Nations  are  fighting;  they  are  not  on  the  farms. 
Even  the  men  of  the  European  neutral  countries  are  under  arms.  The  fields 
of  both  Allies  and  neutrals  lack  man  power,  fertilizer  and  machinery.  Hence, 
the  production  of  food  by  these  countries  has  steadily  lessened  ever  since  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  wrhile,  at  the  same  time,  the  shortage  of  shipping  has 
growm  more  and  more  serious,  writh  the  consequent  steady  increase  of  diffi- 

373 


cultics  in  bringing  food  from  the  far-away  markets  of  India,  Australia  and  the 
Argentine. 

The  situation  has  become  critical.  There  is  simply  not  enough  food  in 
Europe,  yet  the  soldiers  of  the  Allies  must  be  maintained  in  full  strength; 
their  wives  and  children  at  home  must  not  face  famine;  the  friendly  neutrals 
must  not  be  starved;  and  finally,  our  own  army  in  France  must  never  lack  a 
needed  ounce  of  food. 

There  is  just  one  way  in  which  all  these  requirements  can  be  met.  North  America. 
must  furnish  the  food.  And  we  must  furnish  it  from  our  savings  because  we  have 
already  sent  our  normal  surplus. 

We  do  not  need  to  starve  our  own  people.  We  have  plenty  for  ourselves,  and  it 
is  the  firm  policy  of  the  Food  Administration  to  retain  for  our  people,  by  its  control 
of  exports,  a  sufficient  supply  of  every  essential  foodstuff.  We  want  nobody  in  our 
country  to  eat  less  than  is  necessary  for  good  health  and  full  strength,  for  America 
needs  the  full  productive  power  of  all  its  people.  Much  of  the  needed  saving  can 
be  effected  by  substituting  one  kind  of  food  for  another.  But  the  time  has  come 
to  put  aside  all  selfishness  and  disloyalty.     The  time  has  come  for  sacrifice. 

The  Allies  ask  us  to  meet  only  their  absolutely  imperative  needs.  They  are  re- 
stricting the  consumption  of  their  own  people  to  the  minimum  necessary  for  health 
and  strength.  They  are  controlling  their  food  by  drastic  government  regulation. 
There  is  even  actual  privation  among  their  women  and  children;  there  is  starvation 
in  Belgium. 

The  Allies  need  wheat  and  meat  and  fats  and  sugar.  They  must  have  more  of 
all  of  these  than  we  have  been  sending,  more  than  we  shall  be  able  to  send  unless 
we  restrict  our  own  consumption.  We  can  do  it  without  harm,  for,  as  a  Nation,. 
we  are  to-day  eating  and  wasting  much  more  food  than  we  need. 

The  whole  great  problem  of  winning  the  war  rests  primarily  on  one  thing, 
—  the  loyalty  and  sacrifice  of  the  American  people  in  the  matter  of  food.  It 
is  not  a  government  responsibility,  it  is  the  responsibility  of  each  individual. 
Each  pound  of  food  saved  by  each  American  citizen  is  a  pound  given  to  the 
support  of  our  army,  the  Allies  and  the  friendly  neutrals.  Each  pound  wasted 
.or  eaten  unnecessarily  is  a  pound  withheld  from  them.  It  is  a  direct  personal 
obligation  on  the  part  of  each  of  us  to  some  one  in  Europe  whom  we  are  bound 
to  help. 

If  we  are  selfish  or  even  careless  we  are  disloyal;  we  are  the  enemy  at  home. 
Now  is  the  hour  of  our  testing.  Let  us  make  it  the  hour  of  our  victory;  victory 
over  ourselves;   victory  over  the  Enemy  of  Freedom. 

HERBERT  HOOVER, 

UnitedlStates[Food  Administrator^ 

HENRY   B.  ENDICOTT, 

Food  Administrator  for  Massachusetts. 

12 


374 


In  1918,  after  many  changes  in  the  requests  which  house- 
holders were  asked  to  follow,  the  Federal  Food  Adminis- 
tration planned  to  issue  a  second  card  in  the  spring,  and  a 
third  for  the  winter  of  1918-19.  A  copy  of  this  card  and 
a  special  preparatory  message  from  Mr.  Hoover  was  fur- 
nished to  the  several  States;  the  cards  themselves  were  to 
be  printed  by  the  State  administrators.  In  Massachusetts 
the  contract  for  printing  was  let,  but  in  October  the  in- 
fluenza epidemic,  which  appeared  here  earlier  than  in  other 
parts  of  the  country,  led  Mr.  Endicott  to  urge  the  Federal 
Administration  to  suspend  the  distribution  of  home  cards 
and  cancel  plans  for  public  meetings.  The  Federal  Ad- 
ministration, however,  unwilling  to  delay  the  card,  directed 
that  the  printing  be  continued  and  distribution  made 
through  the  safest  means  possible.  The  printing  of  over 
800,000  cards  had  to  proceed,  and  only  after  the  home 
cards  were  printed  and  the  stock  for  the  window 
cards  cut,  orders  came  that  further  distribution  of  home 
cards  and  posters  be  suspended  until  the  latter  part  of 
November. 

In  order  to  relieve  the  printer,  whose  storerooms  and 
hallways  were  burdened  with  upwards  of  ten  tons  of  printed 
material,  the  cards  were  shipped  to  city  and  town  adminis- 
trators, who  had  prepared  local  organizations  to  deliver 
them  to  householders.  At  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  on 
November  11,  they  had  not  yet  been  distributed.  Finally, 
orders  came  for  the  cards  to  be  disposed  of  by  public  auction, 
or  by  bids,  and  the  proceeds  returned  to  the  Federal  govern- 
ment, which  had  made  itself  responsible  for  the  whole 
expense. 

While  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  1917  home  card  dis- 
tribution came  far  short  of  the  expectations  of  its  pro- 
moters, and  that  the  final  home  card  campaign  came  to 
naught,  nevertheless,  the  device  was  a  good  one,  and,  had 
the  war  continued,  the  frequent  placing  of  cards  with 
messages  in  the  hands  of  all  householders  would  have  been 
successfully  carried  through  with  important  results.     With- 

375 


out  the  impetus  of  the  1917  home  card,  and  the  infor- 
mation which  it  conveyed  throughout  the  State,  the  con- 
servation movement  would  have  lacked  a  necessary  aid. 


(d)    No  White  Bread  Week 

One  of  Mr.  Hoover's  first  calls  was  for  wheat  saving. 
Mr.  Endicott  said  that  the  only  way  to  save  wheat  was  to 
save  it,  and  proposed  to  the  Board  of  Food  Administration 
a  wheatless  week,  in  which  consumers  would  be  asked  to 
refrain  from  the  use  of  wheat.  The  matter  was  fully  de- 
bated by  the  Board,  and  the  fact  brought  out  that  com- 
plete abstinence  from  wheat  would  be  almost  an  impossi- 
bility; so  the  slogan  was  changed  to  "No  white  bread  week." 
The  suggestion  was  taken  up  with  a  group  of  hotel  men, 
and  further,  with  the  New  England  Food  Administrators, 
and  was  put  into  effect  for  the  week  beginning  August  6, 
1917.  The  co-operation  of  hotels,  restaurants  and  house- 
holders was  most  remarkable.  Corn  meal  was  reintro- 
duced into  many  families  where  it  had  long  been  a  stranger. 
Rye  bread  was  in  greater  demand  than  ever  before. 

It  was  impossible  to  get  accurate  data  concerning  the 
amount  of  wheat  actually  saved.  Boston  is  a  distributing 
point  for  New  England  territory  and  for  other  cities  of 
Massachusetts,  and  also  for  export  trade;  the  sales  in 
Boston  are  not  an  index  of  local  consumption.  The  great 
value  of  the  work  was  in  drawing  attention  to  the  urgent 
need  of  saving  wheat.  Subsequent  appeals  were  readily 
accepted,  and  wheatless  days  and  wheatless  meals  were 
made  possible  by  the  interest  which  was  created  by  the  no 
white  bread  week.  It  was  the  text  upon  which  many  ser- 
mons and  appeals  were  delivered,  not  only  for  the  saving 
of  wheat,  but  also  for  the  saving  of  fats  and  meats.  All 
told,  the  "no  white  bread  week"  was  one  of  the  most  effec- 
tive introductions  which  could  have  been  given  to  the  en- 
tire Food  Administration  campaign. 


376 


(e)    Garbage  Committee 

In  August,  1917,  the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration 
took  up  the  question  of  the  general  utilization  of  garbage, 
and  the  following  committee  was  appointed:  — 

James  J.  Phelan . 
Matthew  Luce. 

On  investigation  the  Committee  discovered  that  generally 
throughout  the  State  sanitary  measures  as  affecting  garbage 
were  already  developed;  that  the  disposal  of  it  was  handled 
through  the  regular  established  channels;  that  in  a  great 
majority  of  the  cities  it  was  segregated  from  other  refuse; 
and  that  contracts  for  its  collection  were  let  out  to  reduc- 
tion companies  or  to  farmers.  In  the  smaller  towns,  how- 
ever, the  disposal  of  garbage  was  left  more  to  the  initiative 
of  individuals  who  collected  for  the  larger  establishments, 
or  to  householders,  who  either  destroyed  it  by  fire,  or  fed 
it  to  their  poultry  and  pigs.  It  was  also  discovered  that 
the  city  of  Boston  had  as  yet  made  no  effort  whatever  to 
collect  garbage  in  certain  outlying  portions  of  the  metro- 
politan district.  The  Committee  therefore  undertook  the 
three  following  distinct  lines  of  work :  — 

1.  To  prevent  eatable  food  being  thrown  into  the  garbage  pail  and 
thus  wasted. 

2.  To  prevent  the  waste  of  garbage  by  burning  or  destruction. 

3.  Where  the  mixture  of  garbage  with  ashes  or  other  foreign  materials 
was  found  to  work  against  the  reduction  of  garbage,  or  to  make  it  injurious 
as  cattle  food. 

One  of  the  first  complaints  called  to  the  attention  of  the 
Food  Administration  after  its  organization  in  July  was  the 
serious  wastefulness  occurring  at  Camp  Devens,  then  under 
construction.  Three  members  of  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety --Messrs.  Lyman,  Bazeley  and  O'Hare  —  were  dele- 
gated to  visit  the  cantonment,  and  found  that  these  com- 
plaints were  grossly  exaggerated ;  in  fact,  the  waste  through 
garbage  had  been  so  completely  restricted  that  the  farmers 
who  were  under  contract  to  remove  it  were  tired  of  their 

377 


bargain.  At  the  same  time,  as  a  result  of  a  conference  be- 
tween Colonel  Sweetser,  in  command  of  the  military  authori- 
ties at  the  camp,  the  F.  T.  Ley  Company,  which  was  doing 
the  construction  work,  and  the  representatives  of  the  Com- 
mittee, a  still  more  careful  system  to  prevent  waste  was 
at  once  put  in  operation.  The  camp  kitchens  and  restau- 
rants were  at  that  time  maintained  by  the  construction 
company,  and  did  not  pass  out  of  its  hands  until  the  authori- 
ties took  control,  early  in  the  autumn.  The  farmers'  agree- 
ments required  them  to  remove  not  only  garbage  from  the 
kitchens,  but  also  manure  and  other  refuse  from  all  parts 
of  the  cantonment.  On  the  other  hand,  the  sanitary  offi- 
cers insisted  that  in  order  to  safeguard  the  health  of  the 
workers  this  removal  should  be  made  daily,  —  a  requirement 
which  the  fanners  were  unwilling  or  unable  to  comply  with. 
In  consequence  all  accumulated  garbage  was  burned  as  a 
health  measure,  the  fuel  used  being  discarded  building 
materials,  the  requisition  of  which  for  such  a  purpose  was 
the  cause  of  further  complaint,  on  the  ground  that  it  was 
a  waste  of  material.  This  latter  complaint  the  Committee 
found  in  no  respect  substantiated.  In  different  sections 
throughout  the  vast  area,  where  buildings  were  being  erected 
on  rush  orders,  huge  piles  of  odds  and  ends  of  scrap  lumber 
accumulated  daily,  which,  however  useful  elsewhere,  were 
an  ever-threatening  danger  in  case  of  fire,  and  for  lack  of 
means  to  remove  them  had  to  be  instantly  disposed  of. 

The  garbage  difficulty,  however,  was  settled  when  a  con- 
tract for  removing  all  garbage  and  manure  was  let  to  a  cor- 
poration making  daily  collections,  and  carrying  the  reduci- 
ble material  to  an  established  reduction  plant.  Later,  in 
the  autumn  of  1917,  and  under  full  military  control,  a  care- 
ful inspection  of  all  camp  kitchens  and  feeding  places  was 
instituted,  and  by  a  system  of  checks  all  waste  eliminated. 

Again,  Mr.  Endicott,  now  Food  Administrator  for  Massa- 
chusetts, having  in  mind  the  productive  use  of  garbage  as 
well  as  its  conservation,  issued  a  letter  to  all  boards  of 
health  in  every  city  and  town  within  the  Commonwealth, 

378 


asking  them  to  encourage  as  far  as  possible  an  increase  in 
back-yard  raising  of  swine  and  flocks  of  poultry,  and  to 
allow  liberal  interpretation  of  existing  health  laws.  This 
undoubtedly  greatly  assisted  in  increasing  production  of 
these  two  articles  of  food.  The  county  food  administra- 
tors were  asked  to  instruct  their  staff  and  local  officers  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  the  clean  garbage  pail,  and  to  prevent 
waste  of  garbage  wherever  possible. 

The  result  of  the  Committee's  work  was  shown  in  the 
scarcity  of  garbage  which  soon  prevailed  in  Massachusetts. 
The  reduction  company  of  Boston,  handling  under  contract 
most  of  the  city  garbage,  reported  that  not  only  had  the 
quantity  of  garbage  fallen  off  some  25  or  30  per  cent  from 
the  previous  year,  but  that  the  same  condition  existed  in 
regard  to  the  grease  the  company  collected.  It  also  ap- 
peared from  reports  from  Mr.  Bamman,  chief  of  the  Gar- 
bage Division  at  Washington,  that  Massachusetts  was  one 
of  the  only  two  States  credited  with  100  per  cent  of  gar- 
bage conservation  in  towns  of  over  10,000  population.  On 
investigation  the  Committee  found  but  three  or  four  cases 
where  the  larger  towns  destroyed  their  garbage,  and  in 
those  instances  the  condition  was  quickly  remedied  by  the 
local  food  administrator. 

In  April,  1918,  the  Committee,  with  the  hearty  co-opera- 
tion of  the  city  of  Boston  and  the  reduction  company,  made 
an  investigation  in  regard  to  the  disposition  of  the  Boston 
garbage,  examining  practically  40,000  premises  before  ob- 
taining the  following  results :  — 

Per  Cent. 

Garbage  mixed  with  ashes  or  other  materials, 20.79 

Garbage  burned  or  destroyed, 1 .  60 

^Yaste  of  food  in  garbage, 15 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  figures  that  practically  no  waste 
of  food  was  taking  place  through  the  garbage. 

The  Committee  charged  a  special  agent  to  examine  hotels, 
restaurants  and  clubs,  and  through  the  instrumentality  of 

379 


Mr.  F.  C.  Hall  of  Boston,  chairman  of  the  Hotel  and  Res- 
taurant Division,  these  places  reduced  their  mixed  or  burned 
garbage  and  waste  to  a  minimum. 

On  May  2,  1918,  Mayor  Peters  stated  that  he  would  have 
steps  taken  to  educate  housekeepers  on  the  question  of 
reducing  garbage  and  other  waste,  and  that  he  had  already 
instructed  public  works,  police,  health  and  school  depart- 
ments to  co-operate  heartily  in  this  respect  with  the  Com- 
mittee. At  the  same  time,  ordinances  were  unanimously 
passed  by  the  council  enabling  the  Boston  board  of  health 
to  act  more  effectively  than  it  had  heretofore  been  able  to 
do  in  enforcing  existing  laws.  For  example,  ordinances 
were  strengthened  penalizing  owners  or  lessees  of  buildings 
who  did  not  provide  adequate  receptacles  for  garbage,  ashes, 
waste  papers,  rags,  broken  glass  and  other  rubbish.  Pen- 
alties were  also  provided  for  persons  guilty  of  throwing 
paper  or  rubbish  into  public  or  private  streets  or  property, 
and  for  those  mixing  ashes  or  garbage  with  any  other 
material,  or  keeping  it  in  any  other  than  the  prescribed 
receptacles. 

It  appeared  that  heretofore,  in  three  or  four  Boston 
districts,  the  city  had  never  attempted  to  collect  garbage, 
but  left  it  to  be  destroyed  by  the  local  residents. 

During  1918  a  real  scarcity  of  garbage  for  feeding  hogs 
and  poultry  prevailed  throughout  the  State.  Moreover, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  work  of  the  Committee 
pointed  out  to  the  entire  community  that  garbage  is  a 
valuable  commodity,  to  be  considered  as  such  in  the  future 
and  to  be  kept  free  of  foreign  material.  The  conservation 
established  by  the  Committee  as  a  war  measure  will  un- 
doubtedly continue  in  peace  time  as  a  matter  of  business 
thrift. 

(f)    State  Merchant  Representative 

In  the  early  autumn  of  1917,  the  United  States  Food 
Administration  directed  the  State  Administrators  to  appoint 
in  each  State  a  representative  of  retail  merchants,  to  or- 

380 


ganize  local  storekeepers  of  every  description  for  food  work, 
and  particularly  for  publicity,  through  window  displays  and 
the  exhibition  of  posters.  In  October  Mr.  Endicott  ap- 
pointed to  this  position  George  W.  Mitton  of  the  Jordan 
Marsh  Company,  Boston.  His  assistant  representative, 
Earle  Powers,  was  in  charge  of  the  work,  under  Mr.  Mitton, 
and  had  a  desk  at  the  State  House. 

The  first  work  of  Mr.  Mitton  and  Mr.  Powers  was  to 
appoint  local  representatives  in  all  the  cities  and  towns  of 
the  State,  a  special  organization  being  provided  for  Boston. 
This  was  promptly  and  completely  accomplished  by  the 
aid  of  the  local  Committees  on  Public  Safety,  Food  Com- 
mittees and  selectmen.  Upwards  of  3C2.5  local  men  were  so 
appointed. 

To  each  of  these  local  merchant  representatives  a  letter 
was  sent  by  the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  full 
and  careful  instructions  were  furnished  bv  Mr.  Powers. 
The  State  merchant  representative  kept  in  constant  com- 
munication and  correspondence  with  the  local  men.  Mr. 
Powers  was  also  present  at  all  the  county  conferences  on 
food  supply  held  in  February,  1918. 

Many  of  the  local  merchants  were  willing  to  contribute 
part  of  their  newspaper  advertising  for  food  conservation 
matter,  and  material  was  furnished  to  all  of  them  for  this 
purpose.  The  total  gift  of  the  merchants  to  the  adminis- 
tration, in  this  form,  aggregated  a  very  large  sum,  probably 
as  much  as  $60,000. 

Sketches  and  ideas  for  window  displays,  adapted  to  large 
and  smaller  stores,  were  also  issued  at  frequent  intervals, 
and  were  extensively  used.  There  were  few  towns  or  vil- 
lages in  which  shop  windows  did  not  show,  for  a  great  part 
of  the  war,  exhibits  of  substitutes,  and  appeals  in  interest- 
ing form  to  save  wheat  and  meat  and  to  avoid  waste. 

As  striking  colored  posters  of  many  designs  were  sent  out 
from  Washington  in  increasing  numbers,  the  retail  merchant 
organization  came  to  be  of  indispensable  service  in  getting 
these  before  the  public  in  every  hamlet.     Printed  material 

381 


of  many  kinds  was  distributed  through  the  same  channels, 
and  many  merchants  themselves  reprinted  recipes  and  other 
leaflets.  In  each  campaign  of  the  administration  and  the 
Home  Economics  Committee  these  methods  were  avail- 
able, and  nothing  could  have  exceeded  the  enthusiasm  and 
energy  with  which  the  work  of  Mr.  Mitton's  office  was 
carried  on.  His  assistant's  full  time  was  a  contribution  to 
the  administration  from  his  employers,  and  was  highly 
appreciated. 

In  some  of  the  large  city  stores  very  elaborate  food  ex- 
hibits were  shown,  and  conservation  instruction  and  pub- 
licity carried  on.  In  Mr.  Mitton's  own  store,  for  example, 
demonstrations  of  various  kinds  were  held  daily  for  many 
weeks  before  many  thousand  persons,  with  the  co-operation 
of  the  National  Civic  Federation  and  the  Women's  Munici- 
pal League;  and  a  food  booth  was  maintained,  with  well- 
informed  attendants  to  give  out  leaflets  and  information 
and  to  answer  the  questions  of  the  daily  thousands  of  in- 
quirers. Similar  reports  could  be  given  of  the  work  in 
other  large  establishments.  In  countless  ways,  through  the 
State  merchant  representative,  the  subject  of  food  con- 
servation was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  public  and 
made  the  subject  of  every-day  conservation  in  all  parts 
of  the  State. 

The  work  of  the  Massachusetts  retail  merchant  repre- 
sentative received  strong  approval  from  Washington,  and 
his  methods  became  a  very  important  part,  perhaps  the 
basis,  of  plans  recommended  by  the  United  States  Ad- 
ministration to  the  other  States.  In  February,  1918,  at  a 
general  meeting  in  New  York  of  merchant  representatives 
from  the  State  administrations  of  the  whole  country,  Mr. 
Powers  was  present,  and  described  and  illustrated  his 
methods  of  organization  and  publicity.  It  was  reported 
as  the  general  sense  of  the  meeting  that  Massachusetts  had 
proved  herself  the  leader  in  this  important  department  of 
the  work. 


382 


(g)    Food   Administration   Bulletin 

In   December,   1917,   a   committee   was  appointed   with 

reference  to  a  weekly  bulletin  which  would  carry  to  the 
members  of  the  Food  Administration  staff  and  to  the 
general  public  such  messages  as  were  deemed  necessary. 
New  rules  and  modifications  of  earlier  regulations  constantly 
issued  had  called  for  frequent  circular  letters  to  the  various 
trades  which  could  now  be  included  in  a  regular  weekly 
publication.  The  first  issue  of  this  bulletin  was  on  January 
%\,  1918,  and  it  was  continued  weekly  until  January  16, 
l!>19.  The  design  was  both  to  publish  requests,  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  United  States  Food  Administration,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  furnish  such  material  as  would  be  useful 
to  speakers,  teachers  and  leaders,  as  well  as  to  householders 
generally. 

When  the  Price  Division  began  to  publish  fair  retail 
prices,  the  bulletin  proved  to  be  an  excellent  means  of  dis- 
seminating this  information,  and  was  highly  valued  by  a 
large  body  of  consumers. 

Many  complaints  in  matters  of  enforcement  arose  from 
time  to  time  from  various  licensees,  who  said  that  they 
had  not  been  informed  of  the  rules  that  were  in  force.  To 
overcome  this  the  name  of  every  licensee  was  placed  on  the 
mailing  list  of  the  bulletin.  The  plea  of  ignorance  was  not 
accepted. 

The  publication  was  sent  to  all  newspapers  of  the  State; 
to  all  county,  city  and  town  food  administrators;  to  all 
chairmen  of  committees  on  food  production  and  conserva- 
tion; to  all  public  libraries;  to  the  heads  of  fraternal  orders; 
to  all  licensed  dealers  in  food  and  feedstuffs;  and  to  a  still 
larger  list  of  dealers  who  were  not  licensed  but  were  subject 
to  the  general  rules  of  the  Food  Administration.  There 
were  also  many  individuals  on  the  list.  Before  long  the 
mailing  list  grew  to  be  upwards  of  30,000. 

When  the  general  work  of  the  Food  Administration  came 
to  a  close,  the  Price  Division  insisted  that  it  could  not  do 

383 


without  the  bulletin.  It  was  therefore  continued  into 
January,  1919,  when  final  orders  came  for  the  discontinuance 
of  the  Price  Division  work. 

(h)    Literature  Division 

As  much  of  the  work  of  the  Food  Administration  had  to 
be  performed  by  distributing  printed  material,  a  division 
for  this  purpose  was  early  created  under  the  charge  of  a 
volunteer  officer  with  assistants.  All  Food  Production  and 
Conservation  Committees,  all  food  administrators,  the  press, 
libraries  and  many  other  agencies  were  supplied  with  quan- 
tities of  various  publications  adequate  for  the  groups  to  be 
reached. 

Some  further  account  of  the  methods  of  this  distribution 
has  been  already  given  in  connection  with  the  description 
of  the  work  for  home  economics. 

(i)    Fair  Exhibits,  1918 

In  the  summer  of  1918  the  Food  Administration  and  the 
Agricultural  College  prepared  plans  for  exhibits  to  be  shown 
at  various  agricultural  fairs  in  the  State,  Prof.  W.  D.  Hurd 
being  appointed  for  this  purpose  representative  of  both 
organizations.  Three  distinct  sets  of  material  were  re- 
quired, as  the  fairs  were  held  simultaneously  in  various 
parts  of  the  Commonwealth.  The  two  larger  exhibits  were 
moved  bv  auto  truck;  the  third  bv  common  carrier. 

The  exhibits  at  the  first  of  the  fall  fairs  attracted  a  great 
deal  of  attention  and  much  favorable  comment.  The  work 
was  cut  short  by  the  influenza  epidemic  and  the  cancel- 
lation of  the  fairs.  Even  the  tents  which  were  used  to 
house  the  exhibits,  together  with  other  tents  owned  by  the 
Agricultural  College,  were  diverted  from  this  work  to  hos- 
pital purposes,  and  turned  over  to  the  Emergency  Health 
Committee. 

The  use  of  fairs  more  intensively  for  educational  pur- 
poses and  food  matters  is  a  field  which  may  well  be  de- 

384 


veloped  in  peace  time.  The  county  farm  bureaus,  together 
with  the  Extension  Service  at  the  Agricultural  College,  the 
State  Department  of  Agriculture,  State  Department  of 
Health  and  the  State  Board  of  Education  might  well  com- 
bine to  furnish  collections  of  materials  and  promote  such 
exhibits  during  the  season  of  fall  fairs. 


385 


CHAPTER  V 

REGULATION   OF   FOOD   TRADES 

(a)    License  Division 

History  of  Organization 

The  License  Division  (see  Appendix,  page  569)  was 
the  first  division  of  the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration 
to  be  established  for  the  special  purpose  of  dealing  with 
food  trades  and  industries.  It  was  created,  as  the  name 
implies,  when  the  first  general  licensing  proclamation  of 
the  President,  dated  October  8,  1917,  was  published.  Up 
to  this  time  the  Food  Administration  had  had  numerous 
dealings  with  the  food  trades,  such  as  commercial  bakers, 
milk  suppliers,  fish  dealers,  hotel  and  restaurant  keepers, 
etc.,  but  such  negotiations  had  been  carried  on  by.  Mr. 
Endicott  and  his  assistants  as  a  part  of  their  general  work 
in  promoting  production  and  conservation  of  food. 

About  October  15,  1917,  Paul  J.  Sachs  of  Cambridge, 
professor  of  fine  arts  in  Harvard  University  and  a  former 
banker,  was  secured  as  a  volunteer  to  give  his  whole  time  to 
the  administration,  supervising  the  activities  relating  to 
licensed  trades.  By  January  1,  1918,  the  scope  of  the 
License  Division  had  been  enlarged  to  include  all  regulation 
of  trade,  including  unlicensed  dealers  and  manufacturers, 
and  also  to  carry  on  all  enforcement  of  Food  Administration 
laws  and  regulations,  even  against  private  persons.  As  one 
after  another  commodity  or  trade  assumed  special  impor- 
tance, subdepartments  within  the  License  Division  grew  up, 
which  departments  became  divisions  independent  of  the 
License  Division  and  under  the  general  supervision  of 
Assistant  Administrators  Ratsheskv  and  Phelan.  In  this 
way,  successively,  the  Sugar,  Baking,  Enforcement,  Cereal, 
Transportation  and  Perishables,  and  Price  Divisions  were 

386 


formed  by  May  1,  1918,  -  -  all  being  offshoots  of  the  original 
License  Division. 

The  Fish,  Poultry  and  Ice  Division  originated  independ- 
ently of  and  prior  to  the  License  Division,  and  was  always 
interested  in  furthering  conservation  rather  than  as  a  regu- 
latory division.  Also,  the  original  milk  committee  of  Mas- 
sachusetts and  the  New  England  Milk  Commission  were 
formed  to  deal  independently  and  directly  with  the  milk 
producers  and  distributors.  Their  work  lay  more  in  arbi- 
tration than  in  administering'  regulations. 

After  these  various  commodity  and  trade  divisions  had 
emerged  from  the  License  Division,  the  hitter's  activities 
were  restricted  to  the  routine  of  keeping  records  of  licensees 
and  files  of  license  regulations;  of  publication  of  new  regu- 
lations as  they  were  received  from  Washington;  and  of 
administration  of  the  regulations  governing  the  less  im- 
portant trades  for  which  separate  divisions  had  not  been 
found  necessary.  Such  was  the  work  of  the  License  Di- 
vision from  about  May  1,  1918,  until  the  close  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Administration. 

Mr.  Sachs,  having  gone  overseas  about  July  17  for  duty 
with  the  Red  Cross,  Mr.  Z.  C.  Dickinson  succeeded  him 
as  head  of  the  division. 


General  View  of  Food  Administration  Licensing 

System 

The  licensing  system  of  the  LTnited  States  Food  Adminis- 
tration was  created  and  administered  under  authority  of 
the  act  of  August  10,  1917  (the  Lever  Act),  which  authorized 
the  creation  of  the  United  States  Food  Administration, 
and  further  provided:  — 

whenever  the  President  shall  find  it  essential  to  license  the  importation, 
manufacture,  storage,  mining  or  distribution  of  any  necessaries,  in  order 
to  carry  into  effect  any  of  the  purposes  of  this  Act,  and  shall  publicly  so 
announce,  no  person  shall,  after  the  date  affixed  in  the  announcement, 
engage  in  or  carry  on  any  such  business  unless  he  shall  secure  and  hold 

387 


a  license  issued  pursuant  to  this  section.  The  President  is  authorized  to 
issue  such  licenses  and  to  prescribe  regulations  for  systems  of  accounts 
and  auditing  of  accounts  to  be  kept  by  licensees,  submission  of  reports 
by  them  with  or  without  oath  or  affirmation  and  the  entry  of  and  in- 
spection by  the  President's  duly  appointed  agents  of  the  place  of  business 
of  licensees. 

It  was  further  provided  in  this  act  that  the  penalty  for 
failure  to  procure  a  license  when  required  by  presidential 
proclamation  should  be  a  fine  of  not  more  than  $5,000,  or 
imprisonment  not  to  exceed  two  years,  or  both. 

The  Food  Control  Act,  moreover,  prohibited  hoarding  of 
necessaries  under  similar  penalties,  and  also  prohibited  un- 
reasonable charges  for  distribution  or  storage  of  foodstuffs. 
But  the  main  body  of  detailed  restrictions  on  the  food  trades 
during  the  war  between  the  United  States  and  Germany 
are  to  be  found  in  the  multitude  of  regulations  prescribed 
by  Mr.  Hoover  in  behalf  of  the  President,  as  conditions  for 
the  holding  of  the  Food  Administration  licenses.  Licensees 
were  obliged  to  conform  to  these  special  regulations  under 
penalty  of  losing  their  licenses,  and  could  thus  be  compelled 
to  stop  business  in  case  of  failure  to  comply. 

It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  the  Food  Control  Act 
made  certain  exceptions  to  those  classes  of  persons  who 
might  be  subject  to  license  by  the  President.  The  most 
important  exceptions  were  farmers  or  gardeners,  with  re- 
spect to  the  products  produced  by  them,  and  retailers  whose 
gross  sales  of  food  commodities  did  not  exceed  $100,000  a 
year.  These  classes,  although  subject  to  the  statutes,  were 
not  directly  bound  by  any  special  license  regulations  pre- 
scribed by  the  Food  Administration.  Various  classes  of 
dealers,  and  of  storers  and  manufacturers  of  "necessaries," 
were  put  under  license  by  presidential  proclamations  issued 
from  time  to  time  between  August  10  and  the  close  of  the 
United  States  Food  Administration  in  1919. 

The  first  classes  put  under  license  were  wheat  and  rye 
elevators  and  millers  (proclamation  of  August  14,  1917). 
Three  very  important  classes  came  next,  viz.:     (1)   sugar 

388 


refiners  (proclamation  of  September  7,  1917);  (2)  distribu- 
tors of  about  thirty  staples,  such  as  flour  and  other  cereal 
products,  dried  beans  and  peas,  animal  and  vegetable  fats, 
fresh,  canned  or  cured  beef,  pork  or  mutton,  poultry,  eggs, 
fish,  fresh  fruits  and  vegetables  and  certain  canned  goods, 
as  well  as  other  miscellaneous  classes  (proclamation  of 
October  8,  1917);  and  (3)  bakers  (proclamation  of  Novem- 
ber 7,  1917).  A  good  indication  of  the  final  extent  of  the 
licensing  system  may  be  gathered  from  the  subjects  of  the 
pamphlets  of  special  rules,  which  are  as  follows:  — 

', 

Pamphlets  of  Special  Rules 

Wheat  and  Rye  Elevators,  Dealers  and  Millers. 

Corn,  Oats,  Barley  —  Elevators,  Dealers  and  Millers. 

Maltsters,  Malt  Dealers  and  Near  Beer  Manufacturers. 

Rough  Rice  and  Rice  Millers. 

Sugars,  Syrups  and  Molasses  —  Manufacturers  and  Refiners. 

Canners  and  Packers  —  Vegetables,  Salmon,  Sardines,  Tuna,  Milk. 

Dried  Fruits  —  Packers. 

Cottonseed,  Peanuts,  Soya  Beans,  Copra,  Palm  Kernels  and  their  Products. 

Manufacturers  of  Lard  Substitutes  and  Oleomargarine. 

Wholesalers,  Jobbers,  Importers  and    Retailers    of   Non-perishable   Food 

Commodities. 
Brokers  and  Auctioneers  of  Non-Perishable  Food  Commodities. 
Bakers. 
Manufacturers  of  Miscellaneous  Food  Commodities. 

A.  Products    containing    wheat    or    wheat    flour,    other    than    bakery 

products. 

B.  Manufacturers  and  mixers  of  mixed  flour. 

C.  Syrup  mixers. 

Fresh  Fruits  and  Vegetables. 

Fresh  and  Frozen  Fish  Distributors. 

Salt  Water  Fishermen. 

Poultry. 

Eggs. 

Butter. 

Cheese. 

Raw  Milk. 

Meat  Packers  and  Manufacturers  of  Lard  —  Distributors  of  Fresh  Meats. 

Cold  Storage  Warehousemen. 

Feeding  stuffs. 

389 


Among  the  regulations  prescribed  may  be  distinguished 
three  general  types:  those  designed  to  prevent  hoarding, 
those  restraining  profiteering,  and  those  requiring  certain 
technical  practices  which  reduce  waste.  Speculation,  so 
far  as  obnoxious,  violated  both  of  the  first  two  regulation 
types.  Instances  of  the  last-named  type  are  the  require- 
ments of  standard  weights  for  bread  in  baking,  of  higher 
extraction  of  flour  in  milling,  and  of  minimum  carloads. 

To  prevent  hoarding,  or  the  withholding  from  use  of 
vital  but  short  supplies  in  view  of  an  expected  rise  in  price, 
the  general  penal  clause  in  the  act  of  August  10  was  supple- 
mented by  special  license  regulations  binding  on  all  manu- 
facturers and  handlers  of  non-perishable  foods,  prohibiting 
them  from  owning  under  any  guise  a  supply  greater  than 
the  requirements  of  their  business  for  thirty  or  sixty  days. 
Licensees  were  also  forbidden,  knowingly,  to  sell  to  any 
customer  more  than  enough  to  give  him  a  thirty  or  sixty 
days'  supply. 

The  second  type  of  regulation  restrained  profiteering, 
and  also  discouraged  speculation  and  hoarding.  Practi- 
cally all  licensees  were  required  to  limit  their  prices  to  actual 
purchase  cost  of  the  particular  goods  sold  plus  a  reasonable 
profit,  the  latter  being  defined  as  the  average  pre-war  profit, 
on  an  even  market.  Though  the  wholesale  price  might  have 
doubled  in  the  interval  between  purchase  and  sale,  the  mer- 
chant must  sell  on  the  basis  of  his  actual  cost,  thus  under- 
selling his  competitor,  who  had  bought  later  than  he  at  a 
higher  price.  This  regulation  was  designed  to  prevent 
middlemen  from  taking  undue  toll  from  the  consumer  on 
account  of  the  generally  rising  war  market,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  remove  the  incentive  to  hoarding  and  speculation 
by  making  it  of  no  advantage  to  the  owner  of  food  that  the 
market  advanced.  A  quick  turnover,  and  small  aggregate 
stocks  in  trade,  was  thus  to  be  expected. 

This  rule  of  "cost  plus  reasonable  profit"  created  much 
unavoidable  hardship  throughout  the  administration's  exist- 
ence.    Of  course  it  was  not  universally  obeyed,  but  it  was 

390 


sufficiently  respected  so  that  many  concerns  had  their 
average  profits  diminished.  For,  although  the  government 
restricted  the  dealer's  profit  if  the  market  rose  while  he 
held  the  goods,  it  could  not  enable  him  to  get  his  original 
cost  back  if  the  market  declined.  His  profits  were  limited, 
but  not  his  losses.  In  normal  times  the  unusual  gains 
offset  the  unusual  losses.  During  the  war  period  all  food 
markets  advanced  more  than  they  declined,  but  a  number 
of  sharp  declines  took  place  which  brought  losses  unre- 
coverable because  of  this  rule. 

Without  these  anti-speculation  rules  much  greater  in- 
flation of  food  prices  would  undoubtedly  have  taken  place, 
and  the  "cost  of  living"  problem  would  have  been  even 
more  serious  than  it  was. 


Administration  of  License  Regulations 

The  first  task  of  the  Massachusetts  Administration's 
License  Division  was  to  give  notice  to  the  large  number  of 
persons  within  the  State  affected  by  the  important  procla- 
mation of  October  8,  1917,  that  they  were  subject  to  license, 
and  that  severe  penalties  were  provided  for  failure  to  secure 
a  license.  About  20,000  circular  letters  were  accordingly 
printed  and  sent  to  Massachusetts  wholesale  and  retail 
grocers,  provision  dealers,  bakers,  grain  dealers,  etc.  A 
number  of  applicants  were  assisted  by  personal  interviews 
and  letters  to  make  their  applications  in  proper  form,  and 
many  rulings  were  made  in  the  food  office  on  line  cases  where 
there  was  uncertainty  whether  or  not  the  concern  was 
required  to  have  a  license.  The  circularization  revealed 
the  considerable  shifting  which  is  always  taking  place  in 
the  trades,  since  a  large  number  of  letters  were  returned 
unclaimed. 

As  the  duplicate  card  catalogues  of  licensees  within  the 
State  were  sent  from  Washington,  a  comparison  was  made 
with  trade  lists  to  detect  concerns  which  had  evaded  license. 
One  could  never  be  certain  that  every  such  wrongdoer  was 

391 


actually  detected,  because  of  the  magnitude  of  the  task 
compared  with  the  size  of  the  organization  and  the  time 
at  its  disposal. 

Two  license  regulations  assisted  greatly  in  this  respect. 
The  first  required  every  licensee  to  display  his  license 
number  on  various  documents  and  quotations  issued  by  him. 
The  other  prohibited  licensees  from  dealing  knowingly  with 
a  culpably  unlicensed  person  or  concern.  Through  the  co- 
operation thus  secured  from  the  trades,  and  through  in- 
spections, complaints  and  follow-up  letters,  it  is  believed 
that  substantially  every  concern  in  Massachusetts  required 
to  be  licensed  was  put  under  license.  The  total  list  of 
licensees  in  the  State  as  of  record,  1918,  was  approximately 
10,570.  This  included  1,870  bakers,  and  about  5,000  salt- 
water fishermen  the  licensing  of  whom  was  a  rather  minor 
incident.  The  absence  of  fee  for  the  license,  and  the  le- 
niency of  the  regulations  compared  with  the  stringent  pen- 
alties for  failure  to  comply,  made  it  of  no  object  to  evade 
licensing.  Moreover,  as  time  went  on  a  slight  distinction 
was  drawn  between  licensees  and  non-licensees  in  the  en- 
forcement of  the  license  regulations,  under  the  assumption 
that  the  purposes  of  the  Food  Control  Act,  which  was  bind- 
ing on  every  one,  were  to  be  carried  out  by  universal  ob- 
servance of  the  license  regulations.  The  elaborate  and 
cumbersome  reports  at  first  required  by  the  Washington 
License  Division  of  all  licensees  were  onerous  to  the  trade, 
but  these  reports  were  greatly  simplified  by  the  middle  of 
1918. 

Monthly  reports  to  Washington  on  the  quantities  of 
goods  handled,  and  the  average  profits  and  prices,  with  a 
duplicate  to  the  Massachusetts  office,  were  for  several  months 
required  of  substantially  all  licensees.  These  reports  made 
such  an  accumulation  of  papers  that  the  organization,  small 
as  it  was,  and  lacking  in  technical  experience  with  the  food 
trades,  was  unable  to  derive  much  assistance  therefrom; 
but  a  member  of  the  staff  partially  audited  the  reports, 
and  in  this  way  a  few  irregularities  were  discovered  and 

392 


stopped.  The  quarterly  financial  statements  required  of 
feed  dealers  in  1918  promised  to  be  of  value  in  detecting 
profiteering  in  those  special  trades. 

Another  part  of  the  work  during  the  whole  period  was 
notifying  the  trades  of  regulations  prescribed  for  them  by 
Mr.  Hoover.  The  notices  of  changes  in  regulations  sent 
directly  from  Washington  to  the  licensees  affected  were 
frequently  late  and  often  miscarried,  and  were  not  sent  to 
unlicensed  dealers  such  as  the  small  grocers.  Finally,  to 
remove  all  doubt  of  due  notice,  the  weekly  "Food  Ad- 
ministration Bulletin"  was  sent  to  everv  food  dealer  in  the 
'State.  Up-to-date  lists  of  such  dealers  were  secured  through 
the  local  sealers  of  weights  and  measures,  by  the  kind  co- 
operation of  Commissioner  Hanson.  The  successive  issues 
of  the  Bulletin  contained  a  section  devoted  to  the  new  li- 
cense regulations  and  changes  of  rules,  together  with  im- 
portant interpretations  and  rulings  issued  either  by  Wash- 
ington or  by  Mr.  Endicott.  This  caused  an  edition  of  16,000 
or  more  copies  and  an  expense  of  about  $°200  a  week,  but  it 
was  fully  justified. 

The  existence  of  so  large  a  body  of  detailed  regulations 
brought  numerous  appeals  for  interpretations  on  special 
cases,  and  a  considerable  part  of  the  work  of  the  License 
Division  consisted  in  answering  inquiries  from  licensees 
about  rides.  When  the  Commodity  and  Trade  Divisions 
separated  from  the  License  Division  they  gave  out  inter- 
pretations of  the  rules  relating  to  their  own  subjects,  such  as 
sugar  and  baking.  As  mentioned  above,  questions  on 
miscellaneous  commodities  and  trades  were  always  referred 
to  the  License  Division. 

The  office  was  exposed  to  a  multitude  of  complaints  as 
to  the  hardships  entailed  by  various  regulations.  Licensees 
usually  knew  that  the  rules  were  made  and  changed  in 
Washington,  and  not  by  the  Massachusetts  Administration, 
but,  believing  that  the  latter  was  able  to  understand  their 
problem  better  than  the  Washington  officials,  counted  on 
it  to  intercede  for  them.     In  some  cases  Mr.  Endicott  or 

393 


members  of  his  staff  asked  the  Washington  office  for  changes 
in  rules  because  of  injustice  to  the  dealers.  An  instance 
was  the  prohibition  of  use  of  milk  by  bakers  in  bread.  When 
enough  pressure  of  the  same  sort  had  come  from  other  States, 
the  rules  were  usually  canceled  or  modified  throughout  the 
country.     The    National    Administration    seldom    found    it 

* 

feasible  to  make  regional  or  local  regulations. 

Another  phase  of  the  regulation  of  trade  was  the  granting 
of  special  dispensations  or  permits  for  individual  tempo- 
rary failure  to  observe  the  rules.  Discretion  to  give  such 
permits  was  vested  by  Mr.  Hoover  in  Mr.  Endicott.  For 
instance,  when  the  50-50  substitute  rules  were  announced 
from  Washington,  Mr.  Endicott  made  a  temporary  ruling 
that  grocers  in  Massachusetts  might  sell  only  25  pounds  of 
substitutes  to  75  pounds  of  wheat  flour  until  the  situation 
should  warrant  full  requirements  of  the  50-50  formula. 

The  relation  of  the  county  food  administrators  to  the 
State  Administration,  after  their  appointment  early  in 
February,  is  explained  elsewhere;  and  in  the  regulation  of 
trade  they  carried  on  the  same  work  within  their  territory 
as  did  the  License  Division  and  the  Commodity  Division 
in  the  State  House.  The  State  office,  however,  issued  most 
of  the  notices  to  dealers  simultaneously  throughout  the 
State,  and  special  information,  interpretations  and  permits 
were  given  by  both  the  county  administrators  and  the  State 
House,  according  to  whether  the  matter  was  local  or  of 
State-wide  importance. 


Enforcement  and  Revocation  of  Licenses 

One  main  reason  for  the  establishment  of  the  county  food 
administrators  was  the  evident  need  of  better  enforcement 
of  the  rules.  Few  penalties  were  inflicted  during  the  first 
six  months.  The  administration  held  itself  ready  to  follow 
up  complaints,  but  these  were  not  numerous;  and  it  was 
usually  felt  that  if  the  co-operation  of  violators  could  be 
secured  for  the  future,  no  drastic  penalty  for  the  past  was 

394 


needed.  Following  Mr.  Endicott's  general  policy,  the 
License  Division  always  endeavored  to  enlist  the  sympa- 
thetic co-operation  of  dealers  and  consumers.  Persuasion, 
personal  influence  and  appeals  to  patriotism  were  used  with 
good  effect. 

The  cases  handled  by  more  stringent  process  dealt  chiefly 
with  alleged  hoarding  and  with  supposedly  extortionate 
prices,  with  a  few  violations  of  special  license  regulations. 
Complaints  of  hoarding  were  occasionally  brought  against 
private  individuals;  and  during  the  flour  shortage,  at  the 
beginning  of  1918,  several  persons  found  to  have  excessive 
amounts  of  flour  or  sugar  were  informed  of  the  penalties 
of  the  law,  and  were  induced  to  dispose  of  the  hoarded  goods 
according  to  the  administration's  suggestions. 

During  the  campaign  preceding  the  election  of  1917, 
charges  were  made  in  the  public  press  that  the  storage  ware- 
houses within  the  State  were  bulging  with  foodstuffs  held 
for  speculation.  This  led  to  an  investigation  of  food  stor- 
ages by  Messrs.  R.  M.  and  H.  C.  Everett,  Jr.,  and  to  the 
installation  of  a  system  of  regular  reports  to  them  of  all 
warehouse  transactions. 

After  the  sugar  shortage  developed,  in  the  latter  part  of 
1917,  numerous  complaints  were  received  of  unfair  distri- 
bution and  of  extortionate  prices  on  the  part  of  dealers. 
Some  penalties  resulted  later  from  investigations  begun  in 
this  way.  Several  apparent  violations  of  license  rules  were 
brought  to  the  administration's  attention  by  Washington 
and  otherwise,  but  up  to  March,  1918,  no  cases  presented 
themselves  which  seemed  to  call  for  drastic  action. 

On  March  7,  1918,  the  first  suspension  of  license  in  Massa- 
chusetts was  ordered  for  sales  of  sugar  at  exorbitant  prices. 
On  March  25  the  next  announcement  of  penalty  was  made 
in  the  "Food  Administration  Bulletin,"  a  dealer  having 
been  required  to  take  back  an  excessive  amount  of  flour 
sold  to  a  customer.  On  April  6,  for  the  first  time,  a  bake 
shop  in  Massachusetts  was  closed  temporarily  for  failure 
to  use  the  required  cereal  substitutes. 

395 


By  March  1,  1918,  the  members  of  the  License  Division 
had  become  convinced  that  their  organization,  concen- 
trated in  the  State  House,  was  not  sufficient  to  enforce  the 
food  regulations  properly.  Hitherto  it  had  been  proper  to 
depend  chiefly  on  persuasion,  and  to  hold  Mr.  Endicott's 
great  legal  powers  in  reserve,  the  latter  constituting  in 
addition  to  persuasion  a  background  of  potential  coercion. 
At  this  later  period,  however,  it  began  to  appear  that  many 
violations  were  occurring  which  never  came  to  the  adminis- 
tration's attention,  and  that  this  situation  was  encouraging 
would-be  violators  while  penalizing  more  conscientious 
members  of  the  trades.  The  License  Division  accordingly 
welcomed  the  appointment  of  county  administrators  who 
could  take  responsibility  for  enforcing  food  regulations  within 
their  territory.  As  soon  as  the  county  offices  were  estab- 
lished, in  late  March  and  early  April,  1918,  the  number 
of  violation  cases  handled  by  the  administration  sub- 
stantially increased,  and  penalties  became  much  more 
numerous. 

Also,  about  the  middle  of  April,  W.  Rodman  Peabody 
was  asked  bv  Mr.  Endicott  to  head  a  new  Enforcement 
Division  of  the  Massachusetts  Administration,  and  with 
this  specialized  department  systematic  investigations  and 
hearings  were  carried  on  daily,  resulting  in  frequent  drastic 
penalties,  usually  connected  with  the  power  of  suspending 
or  revoking  licenses.  The  record  of  such  suspensions  appears 
elsewhere  in  the  report  of  the  Enforcement  Division. 

Another  means  of  securing  fuller  observance  of  the  emer- 
gency food  rules  was  the  development  of  inspection  staffs 
by  several  of  the  regulatory  divisions.  Thus  the  Sugar, 
Baking,  and  Price  Divisions  each  acquired  field  agents 
especially  trained  to  detect  violations  of  the  particular 
regulations  in  the  charge  of  their  divisions. 

The  total  result  was  that,  in  the  latter  months  of  1918, 
the  Food  Administration  organization  in  Massachusetts, 
volunteer  and  paid,  was  large  enough  to  detect  and  punish 
such  a  percentage  of  all  violations  that  thereafter  not  only 

396 


patriotism  but  fear  of  punishment  deterred  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  members  of  the  food  trade  from  profiteering  and 
other  unfair  practices. 

(b)    Division  of  Enforcement 

The  work  of  enforcement  was  first  included  in  the  work 
of  the  License  Division.  Violators  of  rules  were  called  in 
for  warning,  and  from  the  beginning  of  work  until  April, 
1918,  the  head  of  the  License  Division  performed  all  judicial 
work,  referring  penalty  cases  to  the  Washington  office.  In 
,\he  earlier  days  of  the  License  Division,  Mr.  Endicott  or 
uMr.  Ratshesky  usuallv  sat  as  final  authority  in  cases  re- 
quiring  penalty. 

In  April,  1918,  the  Division  of  Enforcement  (see  Appendix, 
page  569)  was  separated  from  the  License  Division  and 
placed  under  the  charge  of  W.  Rodman  Peabody,  who  gave 
his  full  time  to  the  work  and  acted  as  trial  officer,  ably 
assisted  by  Isaiah  R.  Clark  and  James  E.  Hannigan.  From 
this  time  the  License  Division  did  no  enforcement  work, 
but  confined  its  activities  to  the  interpretation  and  publi- 
cation of  rules.  The  Division  of  Enforcement  became  a 
tribunal  to  hear  and  act  upon  cases  of  violation  presented 
to  it  by  other  agents  of  the  Food  Administration.  The 
policy  of  the  head  of  the  division  was,  as  far  as  possible, 
to  draw  a  line  between  administrative  (including  detective) 
and  judicial  functions,  leaving  the  preparation  of  cases  to 
others.  The  wisdom  of  this  course  became  increasingly 
evident  as  time  passed. 

The  power  of  the  Enforcement  Division  was  based  upon 
the  Federal  Food  Control  Act,  and  upon  the  Common- 
wealth Defence  Act.  The  powers  of  the  Federal  Act  were 
in  most  cases  sufficient,  but  the  additional  powers  granted 
under  the  Massachusetts  law  were  a  valuable  supplement. 
The  Federal  act  regarded  distributors  of  food  as  agents  for 
the  public,  whose  duty  it  was  to  effect  distribution  to  pur- 
chasers at  fair  prices  and  in  reasonable  quantities  without 
waste.     If  a  distributor  failed  to  perform  his  duties  toward 

397 


the  public  he  was  unfit  to  act  as  a  Federal  licensee,  and  his 
functions  should  be  assigned  to  others.  Food  is  the  prime 
requisite  of  the  people,  and  in  time  of  national  crisis  no  one, 
it  was  assumed,  has  a  right  to  handle  food  unless  considera- 
tion for  the  welfare  of  the  entire  people  is  the  principle  by 
which  he  conducts  his  business. 

The  intent  of  the  Division  of  Enforcement  was  primarily 
to  secure  observance  of  regulations,  not  to  punish  violations. 
All  cases  were  approached  with  the  hope  that  compliance 
could  be  secured  without  penalty.  Extreme  forms  of  punish- 
ment were  ordinarily  inflicted  only  in  the  more  flagrant 
cases,  where  the  defendant  deliberately  disobeyed.  First 
offenders  were  given  friendly  warning,  usually  without 
penalty.  In  some  cases  the  posting  of  a  sign  in  a  prominent 
place  in  the  establishment  of  the  offending  dealer  informed 
the  public  that  he  had  violated  the  rules,  but  had  promised 
compliance  in  the  future.  In  cases  where  restitution  of 
excess  profits  was  possible,  this  was  insisted  upon;  in  a  few 
cases,  particularly  of  retailers,  such  restitution  was  out  of 
the  question,  and  contributions  to  war  charities  were  ac- 
cepted in  lieu  of  restitution.  This,  however,  was  always 
treated  as  the  proposition  of  the  offender,  and  not  exactly 
imposed  as  a  penalty  of  the  Food  Administration.  In  the 
case  of  unlicensed  dealers,  of  whom  over  13,000  existed  in 
Massachusetts,  the  most  effective  procedure  was  that  of 
the  "unfair  order,"  which  prohibited  licensed  wholesale 
dealers  from  furnishing  supplies  to  the  offending  non-licensed 
retailers.  In  the  case  of  licensed  dealers,  suspension  or 
absolute  revocation  of  license  was  possible,  and  in  some 
cases  was  used.  In  no  case  was  it  necessary  to  resort  to 
prosecution  in  criminal  action  by  the  Federal  courts,  al- 
though this  was  possible  under  the  act.  Publicity  proved, 
on  the  whole,  the  most  satisfactory  deterrent.  Reports  of 
all  penalty  cases  were  given  to  the  press,  and  were  published 
in  the  weekly  "Food  Administration  Bulletin,"  thereby 
reaching  every  dealer  in  foods,  —  a  total  mailing  list  of 
31,000.     Next   to   this  the  posting  of    premises   was  most 

dreaded  by  dealers. 

398 


The  complaints  acted  on  came  to  the  Division  of  Enforce- 
ment from  the  several  departments  of  the  office,  especially 
those  of  Baking.  Sugar,  Transportation  and  Price;  from  the 
United  States  Food  Administration,  county  food  adminis- 
trators and  from  individuals.  They  related  to  almost  every 
branch  of  food  production  and  distribution  carried  on  in 
Massachusetts.  A  large  portion  of  the  time  of  the  Enforce- 
ment Division  was  taken  up  by  complaints  in  regard  to  the 
use  of  flour  without  substitutes  (selling  and  baking);  the 
improper  use  of  sugar;  arbitration  cases;  refusal  to  unload 
<?,ars  and  to  accept  contents  of  cars;   and  profiteering. 

The  Division  of  Enforcement  later  became  in  large  meas- 
ure a  court  of  appeal.  The  county  or  city  administrator 
gave  a  first  hearing,  and  hundreds  of  cases  were  thus  settled. 
Only  where  compliance  was  not  secured  by  friendly  per- 
suasion of  the  local  authority  was  the  matter  referred  to 
the  State  House  for  hearing,  or  to  the  local  administrator 
authorized  to  impose  a  minor  penalty. 

Inspectors  of  the  various  divisions  of  the  Food  Adminis- 
tration and  those  attached  to  the  county  administrators 
were  of  great  service  in  following  up  complaints  and  se- 
curing data.  The  intelligence  service  of  the  Adjutant 
General's  office  and  of  the  United  States  Treasury  was 
used  in  some  cases  where  immediate  and  secret  action  was 
necessary.  Certified  public  accountants  were  employed  at 
the  expense  of  the  defendants  to  secure  evidence  from  the 
books  of  concerns  under  suspicion.  It  was  the  consistent 
policy  of  the  division  to  penalize  no  cases  except  upon  evi- 
dence which  would  satisfy  a  reasonable  court  of  justice. 
The  most .  serious  cases  were  referred  to  the  Division  of 
Enforcement  in  Washington  for  confirmation  before  penalty 
was  imposed,  and  all  matters  of  policy  in  respect  to  penalties 
were  worked  out  carefully  with  the  Federal  authorities. 

When  complaints  were  received  which  seemed  well 
founded,  a  conference,  friendly  or  formal,  was  held  with 
the  accused.  Each  defendant  was  given  opportunity  to 
be  heard  both  in  person  and  by  witnesses,  and  also  had  the 

399 


privilege  of  being  represented  by  counsel.  The  head  of  the 
Division  of  Enforcement  made  trips  into  the  various  coun- 
ties, and  many  cases  were  heard  at  the  offices  of  the  county 
administrators.  This  procedure  by  circuit,  especially  in 
the  western  part  of  the  State,  brought  the  regulations  home 
to  the  dealers  of  the  district  more  forcibly  than  a  distant 
hearing  in  Boston.  All  told,  over  500  cases  were  given 
formal  hearing,  and  many  more  were  disposed  of  informally. 

A  perplexing  question  was  that  of  procedure  against  con- 
sumers who  violated  rules.  Because  of  the  insistence  of 
Mr.  Hoover  that  the  approach  to  the  public  must  be  kept 
on  a  voluntary  basis,  the  Enforcement  Division  was  used 
against  householders  in  only  a  few  peculiarly  flagrant  cases. 
In  general,  it  was  sufficient  to  make  it  dangerous  for  dealers 
to  connive  with  householders.  Public  opinion  was  the  chief 
deterrent  in  this  field,  and  without  its  support  success  would 
have  been  impossible. 

The  first  large  group  of  offences  arose  in  the  matter  of 
wheat  substitutes.  A  Bakers'  Committee  was  organized  for 
the  policing  of  bakers  by  bakers.  A  similar  committee  of 
grocers  was  formed,  and  where  correction  of  wrong  practices 
was  possible,  cases  were  not  brought  to  the  Enforcement 
Division.  These  two  groups  of  food  distributors  —  bakers 
and  retail  grocers  —  included  many  ignorant  and  untrained 
persons,  and  it  was  difficult  to  make  sure  that  they  under- 
stood the  rules.  Some  of  them  wilfully  used  ignorance  as 
a  shield  of  disobedience.  In  the  baking  industry  analysis 
of  the  product  was  very  difficult,  and  the  improper  use  of 
substitutes  could  be  checked  only  by  inspecting  the  bakers' 
purchases  of  ingredients. 

The  small  retailer  could  be  kept  in  line  only  by  insisting 
that  he  purchase  due  amounts  of  substitutes  with  his  flour, 
and  that  he  make  the  required  combination  sales.  Whole- 
sale grocers  were  of  great  assistance  here  by  refusing  to  sell 
white  flour  without  the  required  substitutes,  and  by  report- 
ing cases  of  violation  by  retailers.  The  grocery  trade,  as 
a  whole,  gave  full  co-operation  to  the  administration,  and 

400 


the  problem  of  enforcement  was  reduced  to  a  minimum  by 
frank  dependence  upon  trade  committees  to  secure  com- 
pliance before  cases  reached  the  stage  of  prosecution. 

The  problems  of  wheat  substitutes  had  hardly  been  solved, 
and  the  trades  brought  into  line,  when  the  shortage  of  sugar 
compelled  drastic  rules  concerning  its  use.  The  difficulties 
of  making  an  equitable  distribution  of  sugar  had  never 
before  been  forced  upon  the  trade  by  an  insufficient  supply, 
and  it  is  not  strange  that  much  confusion  and  many  honest 
errors  resulted.  During  the  months  of  July,  August,  Sep- 
tember and  October,  1918,  most  of  the  time  of  the  Division 
-of  Enforcement  was  devoted  to  sugar  cases.  Many  dealers 
and  consumers  who  would  have  scorned  to  permit  themselves 
unpatriotic  action  with  reference  to  wheat  substitutes  seemed 
devoid  of  conscience  in  the  case  of  sugar.  In  fact,  the 
enforcement  of  sugar  rules  was  in  many  respects  the  most 
difficult  matter  which  came  before  the  Division  of  Enforce- 
ment. The  sugar  problem  also  appeared  in  hotels  and 
restaurants,  and  because  they  were  not  under  license  proved 
much  more  difficult.  Here,  again,  appeal  to  the  patriotism 
of  owners  and  proprietors,  and  the  spur  of  public  sentiment, 
were  the  most  efficient  instruments  of  enforcement. 

Another  type  of  case  came  from  the  Division  of  Trans- 
portation. A  board  of  arbitration  had  been  set  up  to  secure 
the  prompt  unloading  of  cars.  Delay,  due  to  the  refusal 
of  consignees  to  accept  shipments,  hampered  transportation 
and  tended  to  cause  waste  of  perishable  foods.  In  the 
greater  number  of  the  400  cases  handled,  report  to  the 
Enforcement  Division  was  not  necessary.  In  a  few  cases 
one  or  both  parties  refused  to  accept  arbitration,  and  pro- 
posed to  fight  the  matter  out,  leaving  the  foodstuffs  to 
deteriorate.  The  Division  of  Enforcement  was  then  able 
to  require  that  the  shipments  should  be  put  into  channels 
of  distribution  before  the  food  spoiled. 

In  January  and  February,  1918,  transportation  diffi- 
culties were  so  great  that  some  question  arose  as  to  whether 
adequate   stocks   of   Hebrew  passover  bread,   or  matzoth, 

401 


would  be  received  in  time  for  the  feast  of  Passover.  The 
matter  was  taken  up  with  the  transportation  companies,, 
and  ultimately  a  supply  arrived  in  due  time.  It  then  ap- 
peared that  because  of  the  shortage  of  supply  and  a  virtual 
cornering  of  the  market  some  dealers  were  profiteering. 
Such  were  promptly  taken  to  task  by  the  Food  Adminis- 
tration and  the  proper  penalties  inflicted,  with  the  result 
that  the  unlawful  practice  was  speedily  checked. 

(c)    Cold  Storage  and  Flour  Stock 

From  every  public  or  private  cold -storage  warehouse  in 
the  State,  a  monthly  report  was  required  by  the  Food  Ad- 
ministration showing  the  quantity  on  hand  of  certain  lead- 
ing foodstuffs.  By  means  of  these,  and  through  comparison 
with  amounts  in  storage  the  preceding  year,  cases  which 
looked  like  hoarding  could  be  easily  detected.  Summaries 
were  also  drawn  up  which  made  it  possible  to  see  tendencies 
toward  shortage  of  supply  in  each  kind  of  food. 

As  a  further  protection  to  the  public  against  holding  food 
for  a  rise  in  prices,  the  chief  individual  concerns  carrying 
edible  commodities  in  storage  were  obliged  to  file  a  similar 
monthly  report,  and  by  studying  their  financial  rating  any 
improper  speculative  operations  could  be  discovered.  After 
six  or  eight  months  these  latter  reports  proved  unnecessary, 
and  were  dropped,  partly  because  most  of  the  concerns  were 
licensed  and  made  similar  reports  to  Washington. 

From  November,  1918,  every  railroad  entering  Boston 
sent  in  a  daily  report  of  flour  received  in  that  city  (other 
than  for  export),  with  the  name  of  all  consignees.  The 
information  was  thus  in  hand  for  adjusting,  when  necessary, 
the  shipments  to  Boston  from  flour  mills. 

These  departments  of  the  work  were  in  charge  of  R.  M. 
Everett  and  H.  C.  Everett,  Jr.,  who  kept  at  all  times  a 
complete  body  of  information  available  which  would  have 
been  indispensable  if  emergencies  had  arisen. 


402 


(d)    Price  Division 

The  publication  of  prices,  a  task  at  once  onerous  and 
exacting,  was  put  in  January,  1918,  into  the  hands  of  Rich- 
ard M.  Everett  and  Henry  C.  Everett,  Jr.,  and  carried 
through  by  them  uninterruptedly  until  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  dissolved.  The  work  of  the  division  covered 
both  wholesale  and  retail  trades.  A  Trade  Committee, 
consisting  of  the  following  persons,  met  every  few  days  and 
rendered  indispensable  services:  — 


C.  F.  Adams. 
C.  O.  Blood. 
James  D.  Casey. 
Henry  S.  Potter,  Jr. 


Leonard  H.  Rhodes. 
H.  A.  Spinney. 
Charles  S.  Tenney. 


With  the  Committee,  besides  R.  M.  and  H.  C.  Everett,  Jr. 
(joint  chairman),  met  regularly  J.  Frank  O'Hare  of  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  Mrs.  W.  M.  Wheeler  of  the 
Women's  Municipal  League,  Mrs.  E.  W.  Hoist,  and  Miss 
Bertha  R.  Eastman.  In  the  price  publication  work  an 
important  part  was  played  by  the  existing  organization  for 
price  investigation  of  the  Women's  Municipal  League  under 
Mrs.  Wheeler. 

An  elaborate  system  of  reports  from  wholesale  dealers 
was  maintained.  From  these  it  was  possible  to  follow  the 
prices  charged  to  retailers,  and  to  know  the  gross  profit 
of  the  wholesaler.  They  were  checked  with  the  margin 
allowed  by  the  United  States  Food  Administration,  and 
where  excessive  profits  were  found,  inspectors  made  careful 
and  thorough  investigation  from  the  dealers'  books.  The 
chief  work,  however,  of  the  division  was  to  publish  fair 
prices,  which  were  determined  by  means  of  the  weekly 
wholesale  reports  through  the  aid  of  the  Trade  Committees. 
The  prices  on  a  selected  list  of  commodities,  published 
weekly,  included  both  prevailing  prices  paid  by  retailers 
and  fair  prices  to  be  charged  to  consumers.  Copies  of  this 
weekly  statement  were  furnished  from  the  outset  to  every 

403 


newspaper  in  the  State,  and  eventually,  under  pressure  from 
the  public,  a  large  number  of  newspapers  carried  it  regularly. 

It  was  also  regularly  published  in  the  weekly  "Food  Ad- 
ministration Bulletin."  This  systematic  publication  of 
prices  is  believed  to  have  protected  consumers  against 
improper  prices,  and  at  the  same  time  to  have  protected 
dealers  against  adverse  public  criticism  of  their  necessarily 
high  but  not  unfair  prices.  After  careful  study  of  local 
conditions  it  was  found  that  two  sets  of  prices  would  be 
sufficient:  one  applying  to  the  western  counties,  —  Berk- 
shire, Franklin,  Hampden  and  Hampshire,  —  and  the  other 
to  the  rest  of  the  State. 

From  nearly  700  consumers  throughout  the  State,  organ- 
ized by  Mrs.  W.  M.  Wheeler,  regular  sheets  were  received 
showing  prices  actually  charged  by  local  stores.  These 
proved  of  great  value  as  a  check  on  other  methods  of  regu- 
lating prices,  and  as  a  means  of  discovering  individual  profits 
above  the  allowed  margin. 

Consideration  was  chiefly  given  to  grocery  prices,  but 
prices  of  fruit  and  vegetables  were  also  published.  Ques- 
tions relating  to  the  prices  of  fish  are  dealt  with  in  another 
section.  The  most  difficult  problem  encountered  by  the 
Price  Division  was  that  of  determining  a  fair  price  for  meat, 
especially  beef.  For  the  purpose  of  regulating  prices  a 
standardization  of  cuts  seemed  to  be  necessary. 

The  chairmen  of  the  Price  Division  Committee  agreed 
that  the  public  during  the  war  was  too  much  disposed  to 
blame  the  retailers  for  the  prevailing  high  prices.  Great 
numbers  of  cases  were  investigated,  and  many  retailers  were 
reproved;  but  the  chief  cause  of  what  seemed  to  be  blame- 
worthy action  on  their  part  not  infrequently  turned  out  to 
be  ignorance. 


404 


CHAPTER  VI 

PUBLIC   EATING   PLACES   AND   BAKERS 

(a)     Hotels  and  Restaurants 

On  July  13,  1917,  Mr.  Hoover,  following  suggestions  from 
the  hotel  associations  of  the  country,  appointed  a  Hotel 
Men's  Conservation  Committee  of  five.  On  this  Committee 
the  New  England  representative  was  Frank  C.  Hall  of  the 
Hotel  Somerset,  Boston.  Early  in  September  a  hotel  com- 
mittee of  the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration  was 
organized  (see  Appendix,  page  571),  with  Mr.  Hall  as 
chairman,  who  thus  became  a  member  of  Mr.  Endicott's 
staff. 

As  early  as  August  1,  1917,  a  conference  of  hotel  men  at 
Washington  had  worked  out  the  main  lines  to  which  con- 
servation endeavor  in  hotels  ought  to  be  directed,  with  a 
view  to  the  saving  of  wheat,  pork  products,  butter  and  all 
fats,  and  beef,  and  to  a  greater  use  of  sea  food,  fresh  vege- 
tables and  fruits. 

The  first  step  in  Massachusetts  was  the  "No  white  bread 
week"  of  August  6  to  12,  1917,  recommended  to  the  public 
and  especially  to  hotels  by  Mr.  Endicott  after  a  conference, 
July  31,  with  representatives  of  the  New  England,  Massa- 
chusetts and  Boston  Hotel  Associations.  The  voluntary 
response  from  all  sides  to  this  request  was  highly  gratifying, 
and  gave  full  ground  to  believe  that  public  eating  places, 
and  the  public  which  they  served,  would  render  complete 
support  to  the  many  and  varied  measures  which,  it  was 
foreseen,  must  follow. 

In  September,  Tuesday  of  each  week  was  made  a  beefless 
day  for  public  eating  places.  In  October  Air.  Endicott 
felt  that  the  assured  fish  supply  made  it  possible  to  request 
that  Tuesday,  in  addition  to  the  already  customary  Friday, 

405 


be  observed  as  a  fish  day,  and  the  hotel  committee  circu- 
lated pledge  cards  and  posters  to  that  effect.  The  adminis- 
tration also  furnished  at  this  time,  and  for  some  months 
subsequently,  menu  blanks  on  which  extended  instructions 
and  appeals  regarding  food  were  printed,  with  one  page 
left  blank  for  the  menu  itself.  For  the  waiters  and  em- 
ployees a  pledge  card  was  also  provided. 

At  about  the  same  time  an  inspection  began  of  monthly 
reports  of  meat  and  wheat  saved  and  of  fish  used,  and  Mr. 
Hall  started  a  collection  of  actual  hotel  and  restaurant 
menus.  Wednesday  and  Thursday  were  designated  as 
"wheatless  days." 

In  November,  with  the  possibility  ahead  that  all  public 
eating  places  would  be  put  under  license,  renewed  efforts 
on  a  large  scale  were  put  out  to  secure  voluntary  compliance 
with  the  request  for  two  wheatless  days  and  two  no  white 
bread  days.  It  had  already  become  evident  that  unfair 
competition  by  the  unscrupulous  made  the  position  of  the 
loyal  almost  impossible,  unless  uniformity  could  be  attained. 
The  monthly  reports  already  showed  a  great  saving  of  meats 
and  white  flour,  and  also  of  sugar,  in  all  public  eating  places. 

In  December  many  hotels  and  restaurants  came  under 
the  rule  requiring  bakers  to  be  licensed,  and  thereafter 
these  large  eating  places  were  regulated  by  law.  The  aid 
of  commercial  travelers  and  of  the  fraternal  orders  was 
available  in  many  phases  of  the  work.  Constant  pressure 
was  kept  up  by  address  and  appeal,  by  instruction  and 
advice,  as  to  the  best  methods  of  making  the  many  incon- 
venient changes  involved.  All  sorts  of  questions  arose  as 
to  sandwiches,  sellers  of  "hot  dogs,"  the  composition  of 
"frankfurters,"  the  possibility  of  using  substitutes  in  dough- 
nuts, crackers  and  cake,  and  countless  other  things,  and 
the  members  of  the  office  force  not  previously  conversant 
with  these  subjects  acquired  much  interesting  information 
about  the  food  they  had  previously  merely  eaten.  Many 
ingenious  methods  were  devised  by  the  technical  employees 
of  hotels  and  bakeries,  and  many  things  deemed  impossible 

406 


proved  not  beyond  human  power.  One  of  the  great  achieve- 
ments, but  by  no  means  the  only  one,  was  a  war  oyster 
cracker  containing  5.5  per  cent  of  rye. 

The  "general  plan"  issued  in  January,  1918,  gives  a  good 
idea  of  the  whole  subject.  In  detail,  however,  the  changing 
seasons  brought  changing  applications  of  the  general  prin- 
ciples, especially  in  relation  to  meat  and  poultry;  and  these 
changes  were  necessarily  so  many  that  the  Massachusetts 
office  found  it  extremely  difficult  to  keep  up  to  date  its 
general  summaries  of  rules,  even  though  frequently  issued 
$t  large  expense.     The  plan  referred  to  was  as  follows :  — 

General  Plan 

Our  problem  is  to  feed  our  Allies  this  winter  by  sending  them  as  much 
food  as  we  can  of  the  most  concentrated  nutritive  value  in  the  least 
shipping  space.  These  foods  are  wheat,  beef,  pork,  dairy  products  and 
sugar. 

Our  solution  is  to  eat  less  of  these  and  more  of  other  foods  of  which 
we  have  an  abundance,  and  to  waste  less  of  all  foods. 

Bread 

Serve  breads  or  rolls  made  from  corn,  rye  or  from  mixed  flour.  Use 
breakfast  food  and  hot  cakes  composed  of  corn,  oatmeal,  buckwheat, 
rice  or  hominy.  Under  European  plan,  give  individual  service  of  bread 
and  butter  of  uniform  weight,  rolls  or  slices  to  weigh  not  more  than  1^ 
ounces.  Serve  absolutely  no  toast  as  garniture  or  under  meat,  etc. 
Serve  war  bread.  Do  not  serve  bread  and  butter  before  the  first  course. 
People  eat  them  without  thought.  Where  a  charge  is  made  for  bread, 
a  higher  charge  should  be  made  for  white  bread.  If  white  bread  is  de- 
manded, charge  for  it. 

Meat 
Use  more  chicken,  fish,  hare,  rabbit,  duck,  goose,  lobster,  oysters, 
clams,  sea  foods  and  egg  dishes  of  all  kinds.  Use  less  beef,  mutton  and 
pork.  Serve  smaller  portions  of  these.  Have  fewer  of  these  items  on 
the  menu.  If  you  must  include  one  of  the  three,  use  mutton  in  prefer- 
ence. Serve  "per  person"  portions  of  these  meats,  of  moderate  size, 
and  charge  accordingly.  AVar  portions  at  reduced  prices  may  be  served. 
Provide  more  entrees  and  made  dishes.  Beans  are  most  useful,  as  they 
contain  nearly  the  same  nutritive  values  as  meat.  Serve  bacon  only  as 
a  dish,  not  as  a  garniture. 

407 


Fish 
Tuesday  and  Friday  are  fish  days.  Serve  larger  variety  on  those  days. 
On  other  days  also  be  sure  to  serve  enough  kinds.  Fish,  either  fresh, 
salt  or  smoked,  forms  an  excellent  substitute  for  meat.  It  has  high  food 
value  and  can  be  made  extremely  palatable.  Special  attention  given  to 
the  fish  on  your  menu  will  be  worth  while.  New  kinds  of  fish,  such  as 
whiting,  gray  fish,  pollock,  are  being  introduced.     Try  them. 

Milk 
Use  it  all.  Economize  on  milk  and  cream  except  for  children.  Serve 
buttermilk.  Serve  cottage  cheese  regularly  in  varying  forms;  it  is 
especially  nutritious.  Use  skimmed  milk  in  cooking.  A  great  quantity 
of  it  goes  to  waste  in  the  country.  Use  cheese  generally.  The  children 
must  have  whole  milk;   therefore,  reduce  the  use  of  cream. 

Fats 

Serve  as  few  fried  dishes  as  possible  so  as  to  save  both  butter  and  lard, 
and  in  any  event  use  vegetable  oils  for  frying,  that  is,  olive  oil,  corn  oil, 
cottonseed  oil,  vegetable  oil  compounds,  etc.  They  are  equally  good. 
Serve  all  butter  in  standard  pats,  for  guests  and  employees.  A  butter 
pat  machine  promotes  economy.  Trim  all  coarse  fats  from  meats  be- 
fore cooking,  and  sell  the  waste  fats  to  the  soap  maker,  thereby  increasing 
supply  of  soap  and  glycerine.  We  are  short  of  soap  fats,  as  our  supplies 
of  tropical  oils  for  soap  making  are  much  reduced.     Do  not  waste  soap. 

Sugar 

Use  less  candy  and  sweet  drinks.  Use  honey,  maple  syrup,  molasses 
and  dark  syrups  with  hot  cakes  and  waffles  in  order  to  save  butter  and 
sugar.  Use  also  all  classes  of  fruit  preserves,  jams,  marmalades  and 
jellies.  Use  brown  sugar  in  cooking,  and  economize  by  the  use  of  granu- 
lated sugar  on  the  table.  Do  not  frost  or  ice  cakes.  Use  honey  for  sweet- 
ening pastry  and  cakes. 

Vegetables 

Use  more  vegetables  and  potatoes.  Make  fruits  and  vegetables  into 
salads  and  attractive  dishes.  Feature  vegetable  dinners  and  vegetable 
salads  of  all  kinds.  Encourage  the  use  of  cheese  with  salads.  We  have 
a  great  surplus  of  vegetables,  and  they  can  be  used  by  substituting  them 
for  staples,  so  that  the  staples  most  needed  will  be  saved. 

General 
Use  local  and  seasonal  supplies.     Do  not  require  abnormal  use  of  the 
railways  to  transport  products  from  far  afield,  now  that  we  need   all 
cars  possible  for  war  purposes. 

408 


All  waste  food  should  be  saved  to  feed  animals  or  for  reduction  to 
obtain  the  fats.     No  food  should  be  burned. 

The  encouragement  of  hors  d'ocuvre  of  vegetable  salads,  fish  and  sea 
food  at  the  start  of  the  meal,  and  of  cheese,  fruit  and  coffee  at  its  end, 
will  save  greatly  in  all  staples,  and  permit  the  effective  use  of  many 
available  foods.  Reduce  the  number  of  courses  served  which  contain 
the  staples  that  must  be  saved  for  export.  This  means  beef,  pork  prod- 
ucts and  wheat. 

Table  d'hote  service,  unless  very  carefully  supervised,  results  in  waste 
in  eating  and  preparation,  and  should  be  discouraged  in  larger  hotels  and 
restaurants  wherever  conditions  will  permit.  In  circumstances  requiring 
table  d'hote  meals,  articles  of  food  not  required  for  export  to  our  Allies 
should  be  served.  The  American  plan  hotel  or  restaurant  should  require 
its  guests  to  choose  specifically  in  writing  from  the  items  offered,  as  in 
the  European  plan,  so  as  to  avoid  waste. 

The  cafeteria  system  is  recommended  for  employees  wherever  possible, 
as  it  facilitates  service  and  eliminates  waste.     . 

Note.  —  Under  various  circumstances  and  with  varying  conditions 
advisable  modifications  of  our  plan  and  other  opportunities  for  food  saving 
will  suggest  themselves  to  you.  The  essential  is  a  sincere  and  patriotic 
will  to  save,  and  thus  serve  the  country. 

Henry  B.  Endicott, 
Food  Administrator. 


In  late  January,  1918,  by  proclamation  of  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  the  plan  was  modified  by  asking  for 
one  wheatless  meal  a  day  in  addition  to  the  two  wheatless 
days,  and  by  other  changes  which  only  partly  conformed 
to  the  needs  of  the  Massachusetts  situation.  At  about  the 
same  time  a  more  complete  organization  was  effected  by 
Mr.  Hall,  with  six  "zone  captains"  for  the  city  of  Boston, 
and  three  hundred  "town  captains"  in  the  other  counties 
of  the  State.  Under  Mr.  E.  H.  Ansell  of  the  New  England 
Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company,  industrial  and  school 
restaurants  feeding  200,000  persons  daily  were  covered  by 
pledges  and  inspection  service. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  trace  in  detail  the  development 
of  rules  and  of  methods  of  appeal  and  enforcement  which 
were  part  of  the  plan  for  reducing  by  30  per  cent  the  total 
consumption  of   wheat   in  the  country   for  the   crop   year 

409 


1917-18.  The  culmination  came  in  the  dramatic  occasion 
on  March  c29,  when  a  large  body  of  leading  hotel  and  restau- 
rant men  gathered  at  Washington  and  responded  with  full 
heart  and  voice  to  Mr.  Hoover's  statement  of  the  extreme 
anxiety  of  the  public  crisis,  by  pledging  themselves  to  con- 
duet  their  establishments  without  the  use  of  any  wheat 
products  whatever.  The  effect  of  this  action  directly,  and 
also  indirectly,  by  bringing  the  urgency  of  the  situation  home 
to  householders  and  setting  them  an  example,  was  great 
and  far-reaching.  The  hotel  and  restaurant  keepers  most 
sincerely  tried  to  keep  their  pledge,  and  to  a  large  and 
highly  honorable  degree  did  so,  until  the  supply  from  the 
new  crop  permitting,  they  were  released  by  Mr.  Hoover  on 
August  1,  1918.  The  task  required  much  earnest  effort 
and  patriotic  endeavor.  As  one  looks  back  on  the  inci- 
dent, the  significance  of  the  ringing  reply  which  these  men 
gave  without  hesitation  or  reserve  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. 

As  an  example  of  the  work  of  the  hotels  and  restaurants 
the  following  table  is  interesting.  It  gives  the  saving  of 
various  articles  in  public  eating  places  in  Massachusetts  in 
the  months  of  April,  May,  June  and  July,  1918,*as  compared 
with  the  corresponding  period  of  normal  times. 

Pounds 

Meats, 9,546,272 

Flour, 5,929,396 

Sugar, 3,373,436 

On  the  general  subject  of  meat  saving,  it  is  significant 
that  a  committee  of  wholesale  packers  and  representatives 
of  meat  houses  complained  bitterly  to  the  administration 
that  their  sales  of  beef  had  fallen  to  25  per  cent  of  normal, 
and  their  sales  of  other  kinds  of  meat  to  less  than  50  per 
cent.  Nothing,  however,  shows  the  willingness  on  the  part 
of  the  people  of  Massachusetts  to  do  everything  in  their 
power  to  help  our  suffering  Allies  more  plainly  than  their 
action  when  told  of  the  great  need  in  Belgium,  France  and 
England  for  meat.     A  letter  sent  to   Mr.   Endicott  from 

410 


Washington  by  Mr.  John  E.  McBowman,  chairman  of  the 
Hotel  and  Restaurant  Division,  showed  that  Massachusetts 
saved  over  one-tenth  of  all  the  meat  saved  in  the  entire  country. 

The  supervision  of  conservation  in  hotels,  restaurants  and 
clubs  reflected  on  every  side  the  complex  and  successive 
phases  of  the  administration's  efforts  for  conservation. 
Many  recipes,  especially  adapted  for  public  eating  places, 
were  considered,  experimented  with  and  issued  to  the  public. 
Much  attention  was  given  to  the  problem  of  making  general 
bakery  products  with  the  least  practicable  use  of  wheat; 
U  possible,  with  less  than  the  government  regulations  per- 
mitted.  The  increased  use  of  milk  and  of  potatoes,  economy 
through  simplification  of  menus  and  by  diminished  use  of 
fats,  carefulness  in  wastes  and  in  disposal  of  garbage,  and 
the  collection  of  fruit  stones  for  gas-mask  charcoal  were  all 
earnestly  promoted.     Open  sugar  bowls  were  abolished. 

On  December  23,  1918,  restrictions  on  public  eating 
places  in  Massachusetts  were  removed.  It  may  be  said  in 
conclusion  that  no  body  of  persons  in  Massachusetts  worked 
harder  and  with  better  spirit  and  truer  patriotism  in  the 
civilian  support  of  war  measures,  and  made  more  fully  the 
sacrifices  necessary  for  the  war,  than  the  proprietors  of 
public  eating  places,  under  the  general  supervision  of  Mr. 
Hall. 

(b)    Baking  Division 

Questions  relating  to  bread  arose  in  the  summer  of  1917, 
and  in  conference  with  the  leading  bakers  of  Massachusetts, 
Mr.  Endicott  began  work  looking  to  a  possible  reduction 
in  the  already  high  price  of  bread,  and  also  to  the  abolition 
of  the  bakers'  customary  practice  of  allowing  grocers  to 
return  to  manufacturers  stale  bread  and  cake.  When  the 
Baking  Division  of  the  United  States  Food  Administration 
came  into  full  activity  in  the  early  autumn,  the  relation  of 
the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration  to  the  whole  baking 
industry  of  the  State  became  close,  and  touched  many 
subjects. 

411 


Some  40  to  50  per  cent  of  all  bread  eaten  in  the  United 
States  is  baked  in  commercial  bakeries,  and  this  bread 
offered  an  immediate  point  of  attack  for  the  conservation 
of  wheat.  In  solving  this  problem  it  was  necessary  to 
secure  the  co-operation  of  the  bakers,  and,  as  well,  volun- 
tary self-denial  on  the  part  of  purchasers,  without  which 
the  bakers  would  have  been  almost  helpless.  The  questions 
related  to  wheat,  sugar  (both  as  an  ingredient  and  in  short- 
ening) and  fats. 

Until  December  the  work  with  bakers  was  on  a  voluntary 
basis,  and  in  that  period  some  considerable  progress  was 
made,  especially  in  establishing  mutual  confidence  between 
the  administration  and  the  trade.  Early  in  December  all 
bakers  (including  hotels,  restaurants  and  clubs)  using  not 
less  than  ten  barrels  of  flour  or  meal  a  month  were  put  under 
license,  and  thereafter  a  succession  of  rules  was  put  out  by 
the  Food  Administration  which  the  Massachusetts  Adminis- 
tration had  to  interpret  and  enforce.  The  principal  rules 
related  to  the  weight  of  bread  (in  order  to  secure  uniformity 
in  weight  and  so  in  price),  to  the  return  of  stale  bread  by 
grocers,  and  to  the  amount  of  sugar,  shortening  and  milk 
permitted  in  bakers'  bread.  The  rule  about  price  was  at 
this  time  limited  to  the  principle  that  bakers  must  not  take 
greater  profits  than  had  been  their  practice  before  the 
beginning  of  the  war. 

From  the  outset  the  administration  received  much  aid 
from  Mr.  Thure  Hanson,  State  Commissioner  of  Weights 
and  Measures.  Mr.  Hanson's  previous  experience  in  in- 
vestigating the  price  of  bread  sold  in  the  State,  and  espe- 
cially his  large  staff  of  local  sealers  of  weights  and  meas- 
ures scattered  throughout  Massachusetts  and  in  constant 
contact  with  grocers  and  provision  dealers,  made  it  possible 
for  the  administration  to  call  on  him  over  and  over  again. 
It  repeatedly  happened  that  instructions  from  Washington 
to  furnish  immediate  statistical  information  could  hardly 
have  been  met  at  all  without  his  efficient  aid. 

One  of   the   problems   was   to   make   sure   that   foreign- 

412 


speaking  bakers  understood  the  regulations;  and  transla- 
tions of  the  rules  were  published  in  four  languages  and 
distributed  to  foreign  bakers,  and  then  discussed  at  meet- 
ings held  with  them.  In  the  end  but  little  difficulty  was 
found  even  here  in  enforcing  the  rides. 

In  January,  1918,  the  gravity  of  the  wheat  situation  was 
made  known,  and  it  became  evident  that  drastic  measures 
for  conservation  of  wheat  would  soon  be  adopted.  Before 
the  rules  were  finally  formulated  Mr.  Endicott  invited  all 
the  1,800  bakers  of  the  State  to  meet  at  the  State  House. 
( Several  hundred  attended  the  meeting,  heard  Mr.  Endi- 
^-cott's  explanation  of  the  situation,  and  recognized  that  a 
large  proportion  of  substitutes  would  certainly  be  required 
in  all  bakers'  bread  and  other  products.  The  task  before 
the  bakers  was  a  difficult  one,  but  they  accepted  the  situa- 
tion promptly,  and  immediately  began  experiments  in  the 
necessary  change  of  technical  processes.  On  January  27 
the  wheat  conservation  rules  were  announced,  and  all  li- 
censed bakers  were  required  to  use  20  per  cent  of  substi- 
tutes in  their  bread.  This  proportion  was  later  increased, 
but  it  proved  impossible  to  require  of  bakers  as  great  a 
proportion  of  substitutes  as  could  be  safely  used  in  bread 
baked  at  home  for  immediate  household  use. 

The  organization  for  the  administration  and  enforcement 
of  the  regulations  for  licensed  bakers  constantly  grew  in 
the  number  of  persons  employed  and  in  the  variety  of  its 
tasks.  The  public  demand  for  bread  of  white  appearance, 
and  the  relatively  low  price  of  wheat,  increased  the  tempta- 
tion of  bakers  to  include  less  than  the  required  substitutes, 
and  violation  of  the  rules  was  difficult  to  detect  because  no 
scientific  method  existed  for  determining  the  proportional 
amount  of  wheat  flour  contained  in  mixed  bread.  The 
work  would  have  been  impossible  but  for  the  organization 
of  the  industry  itself  and  the  patriotic  efforts  of  the  leading 
bakers.  In  its  later  labors  the  Baking  Division  was  much 
concerned  with  prices,  which  in  the  end  were  virtually  fixed 
by  the  administration.     The  limitation  of  the  use  of  sugar 

413 


in  bread  and  cake,  including  frosting,  was  also  an  important 
aim  during  most  of  the  war. 

The  division  was  able  to  co-operate  with  the  bakers  in 
sending  out  important  scientific  information  relating  to  the 
prevention  of  the  bread  disease  known  as  "rope;"  and  in 
this  connection,  through  local  officers,  tried  to  secure  an 
improvement  in  the  cleanliness  of  bakeries.  Valuable  aid 
was  received  on  the  scientific  side  from  Prof.  Lawrence  J. 
Henderson  of  Harvard  University. 

The  routine  work  of  the  Baking  Division,  very  ably 
handled  by  Mr.  Arthur  N.  Milliken,  its  chief,  was  heavy, 
and  engaged  a  number  of  persons.  The  monthly  and  weekly 
reports  which  were  essential  in  the  enforcement  of  the  sub- 
stitute rules,  correspondence  with  the  county  food  adminis- 
trators, and  conferences  every  day  with  bakers  who  found 
difficulties  in  complying  with  the  rules  or  had  misunder- 
stood them,  or  who  came  to  complain  of  unfair  competi- 
tion, occupied  a  great  amount  of  time. 

The  very  large  saving  of  wheat  effected  in  bakers'  prod- 
ucts was  due  to  the  friendly  and  cordial  relations  which  it 
was  possible  to  maintain  with  the  trade,  and  to  the  efforts 
of  the  more  experienced  bakers  in  helping  the  less-informed 
to  a  knowledge  of  how  to  observe  the  regulations  without 
spoiling  their  product.  The  bakers  of  Massachusetts  cheer- 
fully submitted  to  restrictions,  and  voluntarily  co-operated 
in  methods  of  doing  their  business  which  meant  great  in- 
convenience, diminished  returns,  and  in  many  cases  actual 
loss.  They  fully  earned  the  right  to  say  that  they  had  put 
patriotism  above  self-interest. 


414 


CHAPTER  MI 

FOOD   COMMODITIES 

(a)    Cereal  Division 

Wheat  Flour  and  Cereal  "Substitutes" 

The  relations  of  the  Food  Administration  with  the  cereal 
trades  began  with  the  approach  of  winter  in  1917,  at  which 
time  Mr.  Endicott  laid  on  Mr.  Ratshesky  the  responsibility 
elf  securing  adequate  flour  supplies  for  the  State,  and  of 
regulating  its  distribution. 

The  United  States  Food  Administration,  within  a  few 
days  after  its  organization  in  August,  had  licensed  the 
millers  of  wheat  and  rye  flour  and  had  limited  their  profits 
to  the  pre-war  level.  The  maximum  profit  permissible  to 
the  miller,  over  the  actual  expenses,  was  25  cents  per  barrel 
on  flour,  and  50  cents  per  ton  on  the  by-products,  i.e.,  wheat 
mill  feeds.  The  millers  were  allowed  to  adjust  their  prices 
on  flour  and  feed  in  accordance  with  the  relative  supply 
and  demand  of  the  two  together,  provided  the  total  profit 
on  both  classes  of  products  did  not  exceed  the  maximum 
above  named.  The  millers  were  also  required  by  the  ad- 
ministration, beginning  in  the  fall  of  1917,  to  extract  a 
larger  proportion  of  the  wheat  kernel  in  the  form  of  flour 
than  had  been  the  trade  custom. 

In  October,  1917,  all  wholesale  distributors  and  the  larger 
retailers  of  flour  were  licensed,  and  their  profits  also  were 
restricted,  supposedly  to  the  pre-war  level.  The  Wash- 
ington Administration  soon  gave  the  trades  to  understand 
that  it  regarded  any  margins  in  excess  of  50  to  75  cents  per 
barrel  for  wholesale  transactions,  and  $1.20  per  barrel  for 
retail  transactions,  to  be  larger  than  the  average  pre-war 
rate,  and  consequently  cause  for  revocation  of  license. 
Measured  by  percentages,  however,  there  are  some  indica- 
tions that  these  figures  were  actually  somewhat  lower  than 

415 


the  average  pre-war  rate  of  profit  in  these  trades,  since  the 
price  of  flour  had  greatly  increased  since  1914. 

The  commercial  bakeries  were  put  under  license  by  De- 
cember 10,  1917,  and  their  profits  and  practices  controlled 
by  the  Food  Administration;  the  prices  of  wheat  had  been 
stabilized  through  the  operations  of  the  Food  Administra- 
tion's Grain  Corporation;  and  drastic  penalties  were  pro- 
vided for  hoarding  by  any  individual.  Therefore  the  use 
of  the  most  vital  foodstuff,  wheat,  was  regulated  in  sub- 
stantially all  of  its  phases.  Yet  the  exemption  of  the 
multitude  of  small  dealers  from  license  by  the  terms  of  the 
Food  Control  Act  seemed  likely  to  impair  somewhat  the 
administration's  power  to  control  distribution. 

Difficulties  from  the  Thirty-Day  Rule 

One  of  the  main  pillars  in  Mr.  Hoover's  food  control 
system  was  the  license  rule  forbidding  any  distributor  of 
flour  (and  of  nearly  all  other  staples)  to  hold  in  his  possession, 
or  under  control  by  contract,  a  larger  supply  than  would  be 
sufficient  for  his  ordinary  business  requirements  for  thirty 
days.  This  rule  was  designed  to  prevent  speculation  and 
also  to  reduce  hoarding. 

It  was  apparent  to  the  Massachusetts  Administration  at 
the  beginning  of  the  winter  that  this  thirty-day  rule  on 
flour,  which  had  been  made  applicable  to  the  whole  country, 
would  jeopardize  New  England's  necessary  supplies  for  the 
winter.  Distributors  near  the  mills  could  operate  on  thirty- 
day  reserves;  but  New  England  distributors,  depending  on 
two  railway  lines  from  the  West,  would  find  their  reserves 
exhausted  in  case,  on  account  of  winter  weather,  the  running 
time  of  flour  from  the  mills  should  slow  down  from  the  usual 
two  weeks  in  good  weather  to  two  months.  Such  a  slowing 
down  did,  in  fact,  occur,  and  due  to  the  unusual  severity 
of  the  winter,  as  well  as  to  other  impediments  to  transpor- 
tation, abnormallv  slow  movement  continued  for  about 
four  months. 

This  possibility  of  a  flour  famine  in  Massachusetts,  with 

416 


attendant  unrest  among  the  foreign  population,  was  fore- 
seen by  a  number  of  the  flour  dealers  and  brought  to  the 
attention  of  the  administration.  After  a  meeting  with  t lie- 
dealers  in  the  latter  part  of  November,  1017,  Mr.  Endicott 
gave  the  distributors  and  bakers  special  permission  to  ac- 
cumulate more  than  thirty  days'  supply  before  the  trans- 
portation troubles  should  fully  develop. 

In  the  following  January  and  February,  when  cars  from 
the  West  were  being  held  up  all  along  the  line,  the  wisdom 
of  this  action  wras  made  clearly  evident.  The  administra- 
tion was  approached  nearly  every  day  by  bakers,  dealers 
^and  some  important  public  and  private  institutions  for 
assistance  in  securing  the  minimum  of  flour  necessary  for 
their  current  use.  Not  less  than  one  hundred  such  appli- 
cations wrere  received,  and  in  everv  case  means  were  found 
to  help  the  applicants.  It  was  often  necessary  to  ask  the 
dealers,  who  had  been  allowed  to  obtain  larger  than  thirty- 
day  reserves,  to  go  out  of  their  accustomed  channels  in  order 
to  provide  supplies.  During  this  period  Mr.  Ratshesky 
wras  assisted  by  Mr.  C.  O.  Blood  of  Lynn.  Mr.  Blood, 
anticipating  still 'greater  difficulties  to  come,  held  conferences 
with  distributors  on  the  possibility  of  adopting  flour  ration 
cards,  similar  to  the  grocers'  sugar  cards  which  had  been 
installed  in  many  places.  The  necessary  complexity  of  such 
a  system  was  surprising.  The  mere  fact  that  the  people 
would  always  be  getting  a  part  of  their  flour  in  the  form  of 
bread,  or  other  baked  goods,  suggests  the  difficulty  inherent 
in  a  rationing  program.  But  the  shortage  of  flour  supplies 
never  became  sufficiently  grave  to  call  for  such  extreme 
measures. 

Prevention  of  Hoarding 

Throughout  the  nine  months  from  November,  1917,  to 
August,  1918,  the  administration  was  keenly  alive  to  the 
danger  of  private  hoarding  likely  to  result  from  reports  of 
flour  shortage,  which,  if  it  became  widespread,  was  certain 
to  intensify  shortage.     The  conspicuous  sugar  deficiency  in 

41? 


October,  November  and  December,  1917,  had  shown  what 
happens  when  an  important  article  of  food  becomes  un- 
comfortably scarce.  At  the  first  sign  of  scarcity  of  flour, 
a  multitude  of  people  would  have  remembered  the  sugar 
experience,  and  have  tried  to  protect  themselves  on  flour. 
An  absurd  run  on  salt  for  a  few  days  in  the  Boston  stores 
showed  how  easily  a  panic  may  arise,  even  without  the 
slightest  foundation. 

The  suggestion  of  danger,  however,"  would  have  itself 
tended  to  bring  on  a  perilous  situation.  Accordingly,  the 
first  cases  of  unreasonably  large  supplies  of  flour  in  the  hands 
of  individuals  which  came  to  the  attention  of  the  adminis- 
tration were  dealt  with  privately  by  patriotic  appeal,  and 
no  publicity  was  given. 

Early  in  December,  1917,  Mr.  Endicott  addressed  a 
circular  letter  to  all  the  retail  grocers  in  the  State,  strongly 
impressing  on  them  their  duty  to  prevent  hoarding,  and 
asking  them  to  sell  only  a  small  quantity  to  a  customer  at 
a  time,  preferably  as  low  as  one-eighth  barrel.  By  the  1st 
of  February  the  license  regulations  compelled  all  licensed 
retailers  to  sell  small  quantities  to  consumers,  and  by  this 
time  the  compulsory  use  of  cereal  "substitutes"  with  wheat 
flour  had  been  inaugurated.  It  then  became  safe  to  talk 
publicly  about  the  wrong  of  hoarding  flour,  and  reported 
cases  of  hoarding  were  dealt  with  more  sternly.  Several 
women  who  had  purchased  barrel  lots  were  obliged  to  return 
to  the  grocer  their  excess  over  one-eighth  barrel.  The 
grocer  in  each  case  was  also  summoned  and  made  acquainted 
with  the  penalties  for  connivance  at  hoarding.  The  county 
administrators  dealt  with  a  number  of  individual  cases  by 
similar  methods,  and  publicity  was  given  to  the  cases,  to- 
gether with  reports  of  penalties  inflicted  in  other  States. 

Report  on  Flour  Census 

In  the  latter  part  of  March  and  early  in  April,  1918,  the 
very  great  need  of  flour  for  export  to  our  soldiers  and  Allies 
Mas  impressed  upon  the  State  Food  Administrators  by  Mr. 

418 


Hoover.  To  bring  this  need  as  forcibly  as  possible  before 
the  public  a  flour  census  was  deemed  advisable.  This 
measure  had  the  further  advantage  that,  if  it  should  appear 
that  any  considerable  stocks  were  being  hoarded,  proper 
steps  could  be  taken  to  use  the  stocks  and,  if  necessary,  to 
punish  the  hoarders. 

It  was  evident  from  the  beginning'  that  the  stocks  in 
Massachusetts  would  not  be  available  in  large  enough  units, 
nor  in  proper  packing,  to  be  exported  to  Europe.  It  was 
hoped,  however,  that  the  inflow  of  flour  into  Massachusetts 
might  be  checked,  and  our  stocks  on  hand  made  to  last 
until  the  next  harvest,  and  assistance  was  asked  from  whole- 
salers, retailers,  hotels,  bakeries,  institutions  and  house- 
holds. The  wholesalers  were  requested  to  send  in  a  card 
showing  their  stock  on  hand,  and  if  they  had  over  thirty 
days'  supply  to  obtain  a  permit  to  retain  the  same,  witli 
an  agreement  on  their  part  to  hold  it  subject  to  the  order,s 
of  the  Food  Administration.  Retailers  were  required  to 
make  return  of  their  stocks,  and  if  these  appeared  to  be 
considerable  and  to  amount  to  more  than  a  thirtv  days' 
supply,  they  were  also  required  to  obtain  a  similar  permit, 
as  were  likewise  the  hotels  and  the  bakers  and  private 
institutions. 

The  directors  of  public  institutions  were  called  together 
and  the  situation  explained  to  them,  and  they  unanimously 
pledged  themselves  to  reduce  to  a  minimum  their  use  of 
wheat  flour,  and  to  hold  their  excess  subject  to  the  order 
of  the  Food  Administration. 

The  householders'  canvass,  which  involved  enormous 
work  on  the  part  of  the  county  food  administrators,  was 
also  of  the  greatest  value,  and  brought  home  to  the  house- 
holders the  seriousness  of  the  situation  and  the  need  of 
individual  effort  on  their  part.  Householders  who  had  over 
a  barrel  of  flour,  where  a  barrel  was  more  than  a  thirty  days' 
supply,  were  as  a  rule  required  to  hold  their  excess  stock 
subject  to  the  order  of  the  Food  Administration.  A  few 
cases  of  criminal  hoarding  were  punished   in  other  ways. 

419 


At  the  same  time,  appeals  were  made,  chiefly  through  the 
women's  organizations,  for  signatures  to  a  householders'  roll 
of  honor  pledge,  by  which  a  large  number  of  householders 
pledged  themselves  to  use  no  more  wheat  flour  until  the 
arrival  in  Massachusetts  of  flour  from  the  next  harvest, 
due  about  September  1,  1918. 

The  campaign,  which  was  in  charge  of  Mr.  W.  L.  Putnam, 
was  concluded  at  Mr.  Hoover's  request  about  the  end  of 
July,  by  which  time  enough  flour  had  been  conserved  to 
answer  the  purpose.  As  a  result  of  the  efforts  made,  im- 
ports of  flour  into  the  State  decreased  from  44,000  barrels 
for  the  week  ending  April  13  to  16,000  barrels  for  the  week 
ending  June  22,  and  the  amount  continued  small  for  sev- 
eral weeks  after  this.  This  decrease  was  accomplished  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  it  was  necessary  for  the  Food  Adminis- 
tration to  supply  flour  to  a  large  number  of  transports  sail- 
ing with  troops  from  Boston  and  other  New  England  ports. 
The  receipt  of  flour  in  Boston  in  normal  times  is  about 
65,000  barrels  a  week. 

The  information  contained  in  the  flour  return  cards  from 
individuals  was  in  most  counties  not  tabulated,  although 
the  cards  were  all  scrutinized  for  cases  of  hoarding.  The 
result  of  the  tabulation  in  one  large  and  representative 
county  (Middlesex)  is  of  considerable  interest.  These  re- 
turns were  from  54  towns  and  cities,  and  the  total  of  cards 
was  36,151.  Of  this  total,  only  5,325  cards  showed  pos- 
session of  more  than  one  barrel.  The  number  of  cards  be- 
tween one  and  two  barrels  was  4,863.  The  cards  of  two 
barrels  or  over  totaled  462.  If  we  reckon  at  one  and  a  half 
barrels  the  amount  held  by  the  group  between  one  and 
two  barrels,  there  was  in  the  hands  of  this  class  7,294  bar- 
rels of  flour.  If  the  second  class  be  reckoned,  at  two  and 
a  half  barrels,  it  represented  1,155  barrels.  The  total  of 
flour  in  these  two  classes  is  not  much  more  than  two  days' 
supply  for  metropolitan  Boston  in  normal  times. 


420 


Compulsory  Use  of  Cereal  "Substitutes" 

The  program  of  the  United  States  Food  Administration 
for  the  conservation  of  wheat  flour  by  the  compulsory  sale 
and  use  of  other  cereals  in  combination  with  it  was  launched 
on  Sunday,  January  27,  1918.  The  fundamental  provi- 
sions were  that  a  wholesaler  should  not  sell  flour  to  a  retailer, 
nor  a  retailer  to  a  consumer,  unless  the  customer  bought 
at  the  same  time  one  pound  of  authorized  wheat  flour 
"substitutes"  (certain  products  of  corn,  oats,  barley,  rice 
and  a  few  other  foods)  for  each  pound  of  flour;  and  that 
all  commercial  bakers  must  mix  20  to  25  per  cent  of  these 
same  substitute  cereals  in  all  bread.  The  pound-for-pound 
rule  in  the  family  trade  was  not  made  effective  immediately, 
as  sufficient  supplies  of  substitutes  were  not  yet  available 
in  Massachusetts,  so  Mr.  Endicott  authorized  the  sale  of 
three  pounds  of  flour  with  one  pound  of  substitutes  until 
February  10.  Even  by  this  time  the  supply  of  substitutes 
was  small,  and  by  permission  from  Washington  potatoes 
were  for  some  weeks  continued  as  a  substitute.  The  great 
and  unsatisfied  demand  for  substitutes  in  this  period  of 
scarcity  resulted  in  very  large  orders  being  immediately 
placed  with  the  western  mills,  and  later  in  an  enormous 
oversupply  of  cereal  products  in  the  Massachusetts  market. 
The  measures  to  which  this  gave  rise  are  described  below. 

Considerable  criticism  was  expressed  in  Massachusetts, 
as  doubtless  elsewhere,  of  the  different  treatment  of  bakers 
and  of  household  users  of  flour.  The  answer  was  that 
bakers'  bread  could  not  be  made  with  more  than  25  per 
cent  of  substitutes,  if  it  were  to  stand  the  necessarv  hand- 
ling  before  reaching  the  consumer.  The  housewife,  on  the 
other  hand,  could  use  her  50  per  cent  of  substitutes  in 
various  quick  breads  containing  little  or  no  wheat,  and  also 
in  dishes  other  than  bread,  such  as  puddings  and  por- 
ridges. The  question  was  complicated  by  the  ruling  allow- 
ing public  eating  places  to  obtain  flour  on  the  3  to  1  basis 
because    they    held    bakers'    licenses.     The    public    eating 

421 


places  appeared  to  have  all  the  facilities  of  the  householder 
for  using  50  per  cent  of  substitutes,  but  the  Food  Adminis- 
tration treated  them  as  bakers,  since  it  had  required  them 
to  be  licensed  as  such. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  a  number  of  violations  of  the 
substitute  regulations  were  soon  reported  to  the  Massachu- 
setts Administration.  A  number  of  these  proved  upon  in- 
vestigation to  be  the  result  of  ignorance,  and  in  a  large 
percentage  of  all  the  cases  it  was  impossible  to  secure  satis- 
factory evidence.  Some  complaints,  a  comparatively  small 
number,  turned  out  to  be  deliberate  violations,  and  the 
wrongdoers  were  punished. 

The  weekly  "Food  Administration  Bulletin,"  containing 
the  rules  in  full  and  all  the  changes  and  interpretations 
made  from  time  to  time,  was  sent  to  all  retail  grocers  in  the 
State,  and  likewise  some  15,000  large  posters  summarizing 
the  flour  and  substitute  regulations. 

After  a  few  weeks  the  complaints  coming  to  the  State 
House  diminished  perceptibly  in  number,  partly  because 
of  a  great  decrease  in  violations,  and  partly  because  of  the 
increasing  share  of  the  county  and  local  administrators  in 
the  work.  The  small  retailers  who  were  exempt  from  li- 
cense were  compelled  to  obey  the  substitute  regulations 
under  penalty  of  having  their  supplies  from  the  licensed 
wholesalers  cut  off.  A  number  of  wholesale  flour  dealers 
were  brought  before  the  county  administrators  in  April 
and  the  following  months,  and  some  suspensions  of  license, 
as  well  as  large  money  contributions  to  war  charities  on 
account  of  sales  of  flour  without  substitutes  and  of  excessive 
prices,  followed. 

The  wheat  conservation  program  of  the  Food  Adminis- 
tration was  on  the  whole  a  distinguished  success.  As  in- 
dicated above,  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  as  also  of  the 
other  States,  took  it  in  good  part.  The  rules  were  effectively 
enforced  by  a  very  small  body  of  officials,  and  the  sales  of 
flour  throughout  the  country  were  shown  to  have  decreased 
50   to   60   per   cent   for   several   continuous   months.     The 

422 


necessary  quantities  of  wheat  were  sent  to  Europe,  and 
there  was  no  bread  shortage  at  home,  although  we  were 
tided  over  to  the  1918  harvest  by  the  narrowest  of  margins. 
On  September  1,  1918,  the  proportion  of  substitutes  re- 
quired was  reduced  for  bakers  and  wholesalers  to  20  per 
cent,  i.e.,  1  pound  of  substitutes  to  4  pounds  of  wheat  flour. 
The  list  of  substitutes  was  also  somewhat  reduced,  substan- 
tially to  corn  meal,  corn  flour,  rye  flour  and  barley  flour. 
This  program  was  based  on  the  assumption  that  the  war 
would  continue  until  the  harvest  of  1919.  Immediately 
after  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  on  November  11,  the 
substitute  regulations  were  all  repealed  and  the  use  of 
straight  white  flour  again  permitted.  The  considerable  con- 
servation which  the  80-20  rules  had  accomplished  during 
these  months,  together  with  the  abundant  wheat  harvest 
of  1918,  had  already  resulted  in  a  great  accumulation  of 
wheat  flour,  the  handling  and  financing  of  which  was  very 
difficult  for  the  government  as  well  as  for  the  dealers.  By 
the  end  of  1918  the  flour  situation  in  Massachusetts  was  the 
reverse  of  that  of  1917,  every  distributor  and  consumer 
having  provided  himself  with  large  stocks. 

The  Food  Administration's  Purchase  of  Surplus 
Cereals  for  Export 

In  May,  1918,  the  glut  of  substitute  cereals  already  re- 
ferred to  took  place  in  the  markets  of  Massachusetts,  the 
same  as  elsewhere  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  Among  the 
causes  of  this  condition  may  be  distinguished  the  following. 
In  February  and  March,  when  the  rules  were  first  made, 
a  great  demand  arose  for  the  substitutes.  These  coarse 
grain  products  are  manufactured  chiefly  in  the  central  part 
of  the  United  States,  so  that  in  addition  to  waiting  for  the 
production  to  readjust  itself,  the  eastern  markets  were 
compelled  to  wait  for  transportation.  The  short  available 
supplies  and  the  large  demand  naturally  resulted  in  a  rising 
market,   and   numerous   speculative   purchases   were  made 

423 


besides  those  from  actual  consumers.  The  rising  prices  of 
the  substitutes  were  the  occasion  of  much  criticism,  and 
caused  great  anxiety  to  the  Food  Administration,  which 
had  no  legal  authority  to  limit  the  farmers'  price  for  their 
grain.  The  release  of  transportation  also  resulted  in  the 
sudden  arrival,  all  at  once,  of  supplies  previously  ordered. 
Another  contributing  factor  was  the  diminished  consump- 
tion of  all  breadstuffs,  due  to  the  unpalatable  nature  of  the 
substitute  mixtures.  The  orders  for  cereals  had  apparently 
been  placed  on  the  assumption  that  the  total  amount  of 
bread  used  would  be  about  normal.  A  less  important 
cause  was  the  removal  on  April  1  of  rye  flour  and  meal  from 
the  bakers'  substitute  list.  The  Washington  Administra- 
tion believed  that  the  stocks  of  rye  must  be  protected  in 
that  way  for  the  foreign  populations  who  depend  upon 
rye  bread.  In  Massachusetts,  in  spite  of  the  displeasure 
of  Washington,  permission  was  given  to  bakers  to  use  rye 
until  May  1;  but  this  relief  was  not  sufficient,  and  when 
the  glut  of  cereals  first  arose  there  were  very  large  inactive 
stocks  of  rye  products. 

Early  in  May  the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration 
became  concerned  about  the  dangerous  condition  of  the 
flour  trade.  The  increasing  number  of  complaints  of  re- 
jections of  substitute  arrivals  by  consignees  was  one  symp- 
tom, and  many  notes  of  alarm  were  heard  from  the  trade 
as  to  how  the  flood  of  cereals  which  was  about  to  come  in 
could  be  taken  care  of.  Clearly,  much  of  the  corn  meal, 
rye  meal,  barley  flour,  and  perhaps  of  the  other  substitutes, 
could  not  be  carried  through  the  summer,  because  in  hot 
weather  these  commodities  become  rancid  from  the  fat  they 
contain,  or  contract  weevils.  The  poor  quality  of  much 
of  the  milling,  due  to  the  attraction  of  many  inexperienced 
concerns  into  the  field,  was  a  large  element  in  the  situation. 

Mr.  Ratshesky  gave  the  matter  almost  his  entire  atten- 
tion for  several  weeks.  Careful  inquiry  showed  that  at 
least  80,000  barrels  of  cereals  should  be  taken  out  of  the 
market  entirely,  in  order  that  the  balance  might  be  handled 

424 


before  the  warm  summer  weather  would  cause  it  to  spoil. 
Several  remedies  were  discussed.  These  were  the  possible 
export  of  barley  or  rye  flour  through  the  Wheat  Export 
Company  (the  Allied  purchasing  agency);  educational 
measures  in  the  trades  as  to  the  best  methods  of  storage, 
and  as  to  using  in  the  first  instance  the  more  perishable 
goods;  embargo  of  further  shipments  into  Massachusetts 
from  the  mills;  and  the  stimulation  of  consumption  of  the 
more  perishable  goods  by  temporary  change  of  the  baking 
regulations,  as  well  as  by  instruction  to  consumers.  To 
restore  rye  flour  and  meal  to  the  bakers'  list  of  substitutes 
would  have  merely  improved  the  position  of  the  rye  holders 
at  the  expense  of  the  owners  of  corn  meal,  since  the  bakers 
would  have  used  rye  products  instead  of  corn  meal  or  other 
substitutes  which  were  likewise  superabundant. 

A  corn  meal  campaign  was  immediately  started  through 
the  household  conservation  and  publicity  agencies,  remind- 
ing the  people  that  corn  meal  was  good  food  and  abundant, 
and  that  the  price  had  become  relatively  low.  The  Food 
Administration  at  Washington  was  also  urged  to  take  action, 
either  through  the  bakers'  rules  or  otherwise,  in  order  to  take 
care  of  the  great  surplus.  Under  this  pressure  and  similar 
appeals  from  other  New  England  States,  and  from  New 
York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  other  points,  the  pur- 
chase was  authorized  about  May  1  of  several  cargoes  of 
substitute  cereals  by  the  Food  Administration  Grain  Cor- 
poration, for  export  to  neutral  countries  of  Europe.  A 
steamer  was  to  be  furnished  at  Boston  by  the  Grain  Cor- 
poration, and  in  order  to  adjust  the  cargoes  to  the  tonnage 
allotted,  the  entire  purchasing  for  New  England  was  to  be 
done  through  the  Massachusetts  office.  A  5,000  ton  steamer 
was  in  Boston  Harbor  almost  before  the  arrival  of  final 
instructions  to  purchase,  but  the  administration's  informa- 
tion as  to  the  location  of  stocks  was  so  adequate,  and  the 
help  given  by  certain  members  of  the  trade  so  efficient, 
that  it  was  possible  to  load  the  steamer  within  eight  or  ten 
days  after  she  reached  the  dock. 

425 


Although  by  this  means  50,000  barrels  had  been  removed 
from  the  market,  an  embarrassing  surplus  still  remained  in 
New  England,  and  the  Grain  Corporation  was  prevailed 
upon  to  make  further  purchases  and  furnish  three  more 
steamers.  The  total  quantity  of  cereals  thus  purchased 
through  the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration  in  New 
England  for  export  was  over  200,000  barrels,  and  the  sellers 
received  more  than  $2,000,000  from  the  Grain  Corporation 
for  the  goods.  Nearly  three-fourths  of  this  total  for  New 
England  came  from  Massachusetts  concerns.  The  under- 
taking was  all  accomplished  by  July  8,  1918,  and  the  course 
of  the  market  thereafter  showed  that  the  enterprise  had 
been  entirely  beneficial.  No  shortage  of  substitutes  de- 
veloped, and  corn  meal  remained  abundant.  There  was 
almost  no  complaint  of  inequitable  treatment,  and  the  four 
cargoes  took  virtually  all  the  exportable  goods  that  were 
offered  in  New  England. 

Two  other  difficulties  with  cereals  may  be  mentioned  as 
illustrating  the  complexity  of  the  breadstuff  rearrangements 
which  the  Food  Administration  was  compelled  to  undertake. 
At  the  time  of  the  glut  of  corn  products,  rye  flour,  etc.,  just 
mentioned,  a  surplus  of  graham  and  entire  wheat  flour  was 
also  reported  from  many  concerns.  These  commodities  had 
been  popular  during  the  period  of  voluntary  wheatless  days 
and  wheatless  meals,  and  the  trade  had  been  supplying 
unusually  large  quantities.  The  compulsory  regulations  for 
substitutes  almost  put  an  end  to  the  use  of  entire  wheat 
and  graham  flour  by  householders,  and  the  wholesale  and 
retail  grocers  were  left  with  a  number  of  carloads  on  hand, 
which  were  in  danger  of  spoilage  or  weevils  before  the 
summer  was  over.  It  was  out  of  the  question  to  allow  a 
pure  wheat  product  like  graham  and  whole  wheat  to  be 
used  as  a  wheat  flour  substitute.  For  a  long  time  the 
Federal  Administration  at  Washington  refused  to  let  Massa- 
chusetts give  special  permits  for  the  sale  of  graham  flour  to 
householders  without  substitutes.  An  attempt  was  then 
made  to  get  the  bakers  voluntarily  to  use  up  the  stocks  of 

426 


graham,  but  they  reported  they  could  not  increase  their 
sales  of  graham  bread.  The  administration  published  some 
graham  propaganda  for  householders,  but  no  appreciable 
relief  was  given  until  about  the  middle  of  August,  when 
the  Food  Administration  relaxed  its  rules  and  permitted 
existing  stocks  to  be  sold  to  families  without  substitutes. 

A  somewhat  similar  situation  occurred  in  the  case  of  plain 
white  corn  flakes,  one  brand  of  which  is  called  "Cream  of 
Maize."  This  product  was  put  on  the  market  during  the 
period  of  the  50-50  substitute  regulations,  and  as  it  ap- 
peared to  be  useful  only  in  baking,  was  allowed  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  householders.  It  gained  considerable  vogue,  and 
a  number  of  carloads  were  in  process  of  distribution  through 
the  State  by  the  1st  of  September,  when  the  substitute 
rules  were  changed;  plain  corn  flakes  were  pronounced  to 
be  no  substitute,  and  the  market  for  them  as  a  human  food 
was  gone.  An  effort  was  made  to  secure  special  dispensa- 
tion from  Washington  for  this  product,  but  without  success. 
About  the  1st  of  November  permits  were  given  for  such 
stocks  to  be  sold  as  a  substitute,  but  soon  after  all  substi- 
tute regulations  were  abolished,  and  so  the  product  was 
still  unsalable.  As  it  could  not  be  exported,  apparently 
the  only  disposition  left  for  it  was  for  animal  feed. 

A  second  export  of  surplus  substitute  cereals  was  under- 
taken by  the  Food  Administration  through  its  Grain  Cor- 
poration in  November,  1918,  when  the  armistice  and  the 
great  wheat  crop  of  1918  led  to  the  abolition  of  the  sub- 
stitute requirements.  This  export,  instead  of  being  confined 
to  the  eastern  seaboard,  was  undertaken  throughout  the 
United  States.  The  consumers  and  trades  were  urged  to 
consume  the  substitutes  as  far  as  possible,  and  the  induce- 
ment for  them  to  do  so  was  strong,  because  the  prices  were 
usually  favorable  compared  with  wheat  flour.  At  this  time 
the  Grain  Corporation  secured  a  special  representative  for 
New  England,  Mr.  A.  I.  Merigold,  and  placed  him  in  the 
Massachusetts  office.  The  Food  Administrators  of  the  other 
States  were  called  in  for  conference,  and  a  plan  of  procedure 

427 


worked  out  for  securing  offers.  Ships  were  secured  which 
took  substantially  all  offerings  of  proper  quality  from  New 
England,  as  follows:  — 


Sacks 


Barrels 


Corn  products, 
Barley  flour, 
Rye  flour,    . 
Victory  flour, 
Wheat  flour, 


143,715 

33,441 

17,660 

8,343 

16,560 


73,305 

17,432 

9,399 

4,698 

9,998 


(b)    Grain  and  Feed  Division 

In  the  spring  of  1917  prices  of  all  feeds  were  advancing 
sharply,  following  the  advance  in  the  price  of  wheat,  and 
dealers  were  uncertain  of  supplies.  Consumers  on  their 
part  were  suspicious  of  the  grain  dealers.  The  first  work 
of  the  Committee  on  Food  Production  was,  therefore,  to 
assist  in  securing  the  delivery  of  shipments  of  grain,  par- 
ticularly cars  consigned  to  co-operative  associations.  The 
Committee  also  urged  a  larger  home  production  of  corn 
and  oats. 

The  second  phase  of  the  work  in  grain  and  feeds  came 
in  August  and  September,  1917,  and  concerned  the  man- 
ner of  transacting  business.  One  difficulty  wras  that  the 
same  jobber  varied  his  practice  in  this  respect  in  different 
localities. 

The  evil  to  be  remedied  is  made  sufficiently  clear  by  the 
following  circular  letter,  which  was  sent  out  after  a  con- 
ference with  the  jobbers,  in  which  their  attention  was 
called  to  the  provisions  of  the  Food  Control  Act  and  to  other 
legislation:  — 

October  5,   1917. 
To  Feed  Manufacturers  and  Wholesale  and  Retail  Feed  and  Grain  Dealers. 

The  attention  of  the  Federal  and  State  Food  Administration  has  re- 
cently been  called  to  the  fact  that  it  has  been  more  or  less  difficult  for 
farmers'  co-operative  associations  and  also  large  farmers  who  have  the 


428 


facilities  for  taking  care  of  carload  shipments  of  feed  and  grain  (both  as 
to  finance  and  to  storage)  to  buy  grain  and  feed  at  wholesale  prices. 

The  Federal  and  Slate  Food  Administrator  feels  that  our  State  and 
national  welfare  demand  that  it  be  possible  for  the  large  producer,  who 
is  in  this  case  the  farmer,  to  purchase  his  feed  and  grain  at  the  same  prices 
and  under  the  same  conditions  that  the  retail  feed  dealer  buys,  in  order 
that  he  may,  in  turn,  produce  his  dairy  and  other  products  at  a  mini- 
mum cost. 

In  order  to  assist  in  accomplishing  this  object,  the  Administrator  is 
asking  all  feed  manufacturers  and  all  wholesale  feed  and  grain  dealers  to 
sell  all  consumers,  who  can  purchase  as  outlined  above,  at  the  same  price 
as  they  are  selling  the  retail  feed  dealer. 

()  It  is  not  the  desire  of  the  Administrator  to  disturb  any  present  methods 
'"of  transacting  business  where  those  methods  perform  a  necessary  public- 
service.  It  is  not  his  desire  or  intention,  where  it  can  be  avoided,  to 
suggest  any  plan  of  operation  which  will  work  any  material  hardship  on 
any  retail  feed  dealer  who  is  performing  his  function  properly. 

Very  truly  yours, 

H.  B.  Endicott, 
Federal  and  State  Food  Administrator. 

The  majority  of  the  grain  and  feed  trade  willingly  com- 
plied with  the  request  of  this  circular  as  soon  as  it  became 
evident  that  all  must  come  under  it  alike.  Such  firms  as 
refused  were  warned  that  continuance  of  their  practice 
would  lead  to  their  retiring  altogether  from  business  with 
farmers. 

In  November,  1917,  difficulties  about  the  supply  of  feeds 
began  to  arise,  due  to  a  variety  of  causes.  Transportation 
facilities  were  congested  and  arrivals  badly  delayed.  The 
Federal  wheat  saving  campaign  had  led  to  a  diminished 
output  of  wheat  feeds,  since  a  larger  proportion  of  the  berry 
was  applied  to  human  consumption.  Of  the  by-product 
feeds  made  from  corn,  oats  and  barley  the  value  was  little 
known.  Millers  were  limited  to  a  fixed  margin  of  profit 
per  barrel  of  flour,  and  were  required  to  take  a  profit  of 
50  cents  per  ton  on  feeds. 

A  still  further  difficult  v  came  from  the  limitation  of  stocks 
which  dealers  might  have  on  hand  or  under  control.  In 
order  to  make  possible  a  due  supply  of  grain  and  feed  in 

±19 


New  England  in  the  face  of  winter  transportation  risks, 
the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration  had  to  secure  for 
New  England  dealers  exceptions  to  the  new  regulations, 
even  at  the  cost  of  some  incidental  increase  in  prices. 

A  larger  ordering  of  stocks  was  permitted;  and  had  it 
not  been  for  the  courage  of  New  England  jobbers  in  making 
large  calls  on  western  supplies,  it  is  probable  that  much 
live  stock  in  New  England  would  have  suffered  and  some 
have  perished. 

In  December  and  January  various  classes  of  grain  and 
feed  dealers  were  placed  under  license,  and  a  fixed  price 
placed  on  wheat  feeds.  The  relatively  high  price  of  other 
grains  led  western  hog  and  beef  feeders  to  sell  corn  and 
oats,  and  purchase  wheat  feeds,  at  the  same  time  that  the 
normal  production  of  wheat  feeds  was  diminished.  Thus  a 
variety  of  circumstances,  together  with  the  most  difficult 
winter  for  transportation  known  for  many  years,  left  New 
England  with  almost  no  stocks  of  wheat  feed  and  no  pros- 
pect of  getting  any.  Corn,  oats,  and  barley  feeds,  too, 
were  hard  to  get,  and  in  the  months  of  January,  February 
and  early  March  live  stock  were  threatened  with  famine. 
At  many  times  the  supply  of  oats  available  to  feed  Boston's 
20,000  team  horses  was  not  adequate  for  more  than  three 
days.  An  arrangement  was  made  with  the  Food  Adminis- 
tration Grain  Corporation,  so  that  if  an  actual  failure  of 
supply  took  place  the  stock  of  oats  in  the  Mystic,  Hoosac 
and  Albany  elevators  awaiting  shipment  to  Europe  could 
be  drawn  upon.  The  committee  of  dealers  agreed  that  such 
stocks  as  were  available  should  be  divided  among  them  in 
order  that  each  might  take  care  of  his  local  trade. 

In  February,  1918,  after  a  series  of  conferences  in  Boston 
and  New  York  with  wholesale  and  retail  dealers,  rules  were 
issued  relating  to  profits  and  to  resales;  and  in  March  a 
report  of  licensed  grain  dealers  began  to  be  required.  Sworn 
statements  showed  the  inventory  at  the  beginning  of  the 
quarter,  amounts  expended  for  purchase  of  grains,  amounts 
expended  in  the  transaction  of  business,  the  inventory  at 

430 


the  end  of  the  quarter,  and  the  total  amount  received  for 
sale  of  grain  and  feed  and  from  other  revenue.  From  the 
first  report,  March  31,  1918,  it  was  evident  that  many  grain 
dealers  had  taken  very  large  profits.  The  most  flagrant 
eases  were  dealt  with  directly;  others  were  warned  that  if 
continued  such  profits  would  be  regarded  as  excessive.  In 
the  majority  of  cases  it  was  felt  that  it  would  he  unfair  to 
judge  the  business  by  the  profits  of  a  single  quarter.  After 
various  changes  in  the  rules  about  prices  and  margins  of 
profits,  the  Federal  Food  Administration  fell  back  on  the 
principle  that  the  net  profits  of  wholesalers  should  not  be 
greater  than  4  per  cent  per  annum,  and  that  for  retailers 
6  per  cent  per  annum  would  not  be  considered  unreasonable ; 
and  that  15  per  cent  should  be  the  maximum  margin  in  the 
case  of  any  sale  of  any  commodity.  The  sworn  report  of 
grain  dealers  at  the  end  of  the  second  quarter,  June  30, 
showed  that  many  dealers  who  had  made  substantial  profits 
in  the  first  quarter  of  the  year  had  suffered  a  substantial 
loss  in  the  second  quarter. 

During  the  latter  part  of  March  and  April  the  shipments 
delayed  in  transit  by  the  winter's  congestion  arrived  all  at 
once;  and  the  market  for  many  commodities  broke,  with  seri- 
ous loss  to  the  trade,  —  a  loss  in  many  cases  of  as  much  as 
$c25  a  ton  on  corn  products.  The  government  gave  relief  by 
allowing  retailers  for  all  feeding  stuffs,  except  wheat  feeds, 
a  margin  on  a  percentage  basis  instead  of  as  a  fixed  charge, 
and  thus  made  it  possible  for  most  dealers  to  carry  through 
their  year's  business  at  a  reasonable  (although  strictly 
regulated)  profit. 

On  July  1  a  new  schedule  of  wheat  prices  was  announced, 
reducing  the  delivery  price  of  feeds  to  a  figure  much  lower 
than  before.  The  differential  between  various  grades  of 
feeds  was  reduced  at  the  same  time.  These  changes  were 
beneficial  to  the  interests  of  eastern  cattle  feeders. 

The  further  depression,  however,  of  wheat  feed  prices 
caused  heavier  purchasing  by  western  farmers,  with  the 
result  that  New  England  could  purchase  no  wheat  feeds 

431 


at  all,  and  again  the  Grain  and  Feed  Division  had  to  present 
to  Washington  the  needs  of  New  England.  Help  was  given 
from  Washington,  and  later  a  rule  was  made  requiring  that 
wheat  feeds  be  distributed  at  the  same  ratio  as  in  pre-war 
times,  although  the  rule  was  so  difficult  of  enforcement 
that  not  until  the  close  of  the  war  was  New  England  able 
to  secure  adequate  supplies  of  wheat  feeds. 

Another  work  of  the  division  was  in  getting  local  dealers 
to  install  segregated  accounts.  It  was  found  that  many 
retail  grain  dealers  combined  the  grain  business  with  a 
coal  or  lumber  business,  or  with  a  general  store.  Com- 
monly these  dealers  had  no  certain  knowledge  as  to  what 
return  such  department  of  their  business  was  bringing  in. 
The  reports  required  by  the  Federal  Food  Administration 
made  necessary  some  basis  of  segregated  costs,  and  many 
conferences  were  held  in  the  office  of  the  Food  Administra- 
tion in  assisting  grain  and  feed  dealers  in  this  direction. 

In  conclusion,  the  head  of  the  division  reported  that  in 
his  opinion,  during  the  war  very  few  of  the  grain  dealers  of 
the  State  were  making  excessive  profits  on  their  business, 
although  many  of  them  were  charging  very  high  prices. 
This  situation  was  due  to  excessive  credit  given;  to  un- 
willingness to  make  a  reduction  for  cash,  and  for  delivery 
direct  from  the  car  on  arrival;   and  to  lack  of  capital. 

The  inability  of  small  dealers  to  meet  the  needs  of  cash- 
paying  customers  was  the  real  reason  for  the  development 
of  co-operative  organizations.  It  seems  also  probable  that 
chain  grain  stores,  parallel  to  chain  grocery  stores,  will 
arise  and  be  economically  advantageous. 

Milling  of  Massachusetts-grown  Wheat 

Before  the  outbreak  of  the  war  and  the  food  production 
campaign  of  1917,  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts  hardly 
250  acres  were  planted  with  wheat.  In  1918  at  least  2,500 
acres  of  wheat  were  planted.  When  the  product  of  these 
new  wheat  fields  was  threshed,  the  question  of  milling  im- 
mediately arose. 

432 


The  Food  Administration  milling  regulations  were  strict, 
requiring  full  reports  as  to  percentage  of  extraction  and  the 
separation  of  by-products,  and  were  suited  only  to  wheat- 
producing  areas.  Realizing  this,  the  Massachusetts  Food 
Administration  authorized  county  food  administrators  to 
issue  permits  to  local  millers  for  the  milling  of  Massachusel  ts- 
grown  wheat,  to  serve  in  lieu  of  the  milling  licenses.  In 
this  way  mills  of  the  State  capable  of  producing  entire  wheal 
flour,  and  the  few  small  mills  capable  of  producing  while 
flour,  were  enabled  to  take  care  of  the  output  of  the  tanners' 
wheat.  Had  the  Federal  rules  been  rigidly  enforced,  the 
wheat  woidd  have  been  fed  to  the  animals  of  the  farmers 
who  had  raised  it. 

(c)    Potato  Committee 

The  earlier  efforts  regarding  potato  production  have  al- 
ready been  described.  In  July,  1918,  the  newly  created 
Food  Administration  took  up  the  subject  with  reference 
to  the  1918  crop.  A  conference  of  representatives  from  all 
New  England  was  held  on  July  30,  and  a  Potato  Committee, 
including  the  president  of  Harvard  College,  a  labor  repre- 
sentative, and  a  leading  banker,  with  members  from  other 
States,  began  active  work.  The  distribution  problem  was 
found  to  center  in  the  provision  of  sufficient  storage  facili- 
ties, since  the  delivery  to  market  of  the  Maine  crop  was  the 
responsibility  of  the  railroads,  particularly  of  the  Bangor 
and  Aroostook  Company. 

The  Committee  feared  hasty  sales  by  farmers  at  low 
prices,  with  resulting  fluctuation  and  speculation,  subse- 
quent high  prices,  small  profits  and  discouragement  of  pro- 
duction for  1918.  The  Committee  was,  therefore,  prepared 
to  buy  with  the  aid  of  private  capital  large  quantities  of  pota- 
toes for  storage,  and  so  to  stabilize  the  market.  Elaborate 
plans  were  also  made  for  local  storage  throughout  the  State. 

The  crop,  however,  proved  smaller  than  had  been  antici- 
pated, fair  prices  ruled,  and  intervention  by  the  Committee 
was  not  needed.     In  the  spring  of  1918  a  very  energetic 

4:5:5 


and  interesting  campaign  for  the  increased  use  of  potatoes 
was  made  at  the  instance  of  Washington  by  the  women's 
office,  but  it  was  hardly  necessary  in  Massachusetts.  The 
production  conditions  for  1918  were  normal. 

(d)    Federal  Milk  Commission  for  New  England 

The  price  of  milk  has  always  been  a  subject  of  discussion 
and  a  source  of  irritation  to  producers,  dealers  and  con- 
sumers. Earlv  in  the  year  1917  the  Food  Production  Com- 
mittee  saw  that  the  price  of  milk  would  surely  advance 
with  advancing  costs  of  feed  and  labor.  The  advance 
might  be  excessive  if  too  large  a  shortage  developed  and 
demand-  exceeded  supply;  or,  on  the  other  hand,  it  might 
be  insufficient  to  insure  the  continuance  of  dairy  production. 
Because  of  these  dangers  the  Food  Production  Committee, 
as  elsewhere  described,  provided  funds  for  the  making  of 
a  survey  of  the  costs  of  milk  production. 

When  the  Food  Administration  was  organized  in  July, 
it  was  hoped  that  the  subject  of  milk  might  be  avoided. 
In  August,  however,  announcement  was  made  that  on  a 
given  date  prices  would  advance,  the  reasons  given  being 
the  advance  in  the  cost  of  processing  and  delivery,  and  the 
increased  price  paid  to  producers.  Representatives  of  con- 
sumers immediately  protested.  A  conference  of  several  of 
the  larger  dealers  was  called,  and  the  matter  carefully 
discussed  between  them  and  the  Food  Administration.  As 
a  result  of  the  recurrence  of  these  difficulties,  the  matter  of 
price  was  taken  up  at  a  larger  conference  of  all  the  dealers 
who  could  be  reached,  together  with  the  officers  of  the  New 
England  Milk  Producers'  Association,  who  had  announced 
that  producers  must  secure  larger  returns  for  milk  or  go 
out  of  business.  A  Milk  Committee  was  appointed  from 
the  personnel  of  the  Food  Administration,  as  follows:  — 

Philip  R.  Allen,  Chairman. 
A.  Lawrence  Lowell.  Joseph  B.  Russell. 

Robert  Winsor.  J.  Frank  O'Hare. 

434 


This  Committee  held  conferences  with  producers  and 
consumers. 

The  figures  which  had  been  secured  by  the  survey  pre- 
viously mentioned  were  available  for  the  Committee,  and 
on  the  basis  so  obtained  the  demands  of  producers  were 
approved  as  reasonable.  The  price  agreed  upon  for  the 
months  of  August  and  September  was  S  cents  per  quart 
delivered  in  Boston,  subject  to  deductions  for  freight,  country 
plants  and  can  rental.  At  the  same  time,  consumers'  prices 
were  discussed  with  dealers,  who  argued  impending  bank- 
ruptcy unless  they  could  be  given  relief. 

Another  relief  measure  suggested  was  that  milk  stations 
be  opened  at  various  points  in  the  city.  One  of  the  large 
firms  agreed  to  supply  milk  at  a  cost  of  10  cents  per  quart, 
provided  storekeepers  who  furnished  stations  would  resell 
without  profit.  At  the  same  time,  prices  to  retail  and 
wholesale  trade  were  approved.  Prices  agreed  upon  at  this 
time  were  as  follows:  to  producers,  1\  cents  per  quart, 
f.  o.  b.,  Boston;   retail  price,  14  cents  per  quart. 

The  milk  stations  were  opened  with  much  advertising, 
and  their  business  for  the  first  few  davs  was  enormous. 
But  new  developments  came  in  to  upset  the  original  calcu- 
lations. Storekeepers  wrho  were  not  receiving  milk  at  the 
same  price  as  the  low-price  stations  complained  of  discrimi- 
nation. Other  concerns  went  into  the  field,  and  for  many 
days  a  cut-throat  milk  war  was  waged  which  threatened 
bankruptcy  to  all  concerned. 

In  the  meantime  Massachusetts  was  not  the  only  State 
suffering  from  milk  problems.  New  York,  Illinois,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Maryland,  New  Jersey,  Ohio  and  other  communities 
were  involved  in  more  or  less  violent  dissension,  producers 
claiming  ruinous  losses,  dealers  claiming  ruinous  costs,  and 
consumers  claiming  prohibitive  prices. 

A  conference  was  then  called  in  Washington,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  several  States,  including  Massachusetts,  ex- 
pressed the  belief  that  regional  milk  commissions  should  be 
established  by  the  Food  Administration.     It  was  urged  that 

435 


New  England  be  treated  as  a  unit,  because  while  the  large 
consuming  markets  are  in  the  three  southern  States,  the 
large  producing  areas  lie  in  the  three  northern  ones. 

Meanwhile  the  dealers,  who  were  engaged  in  disastrous 
competition,  appealed  to  Washington  for  help,  and  agreed 
to  the  idea  of  a  milk  commission.  Price  levels  were  estab- 
lished which  were  to  hold  until  the  commission  could  review 
the  evidence  of  costs.  The  contracting  parties  to  this  agree- 
ment were  the  New  England  Milk  Producers'  Association 
and  the  larger  distributors,  together  with  representatives  of 
the  Independent  Milk  Dealers'  Association.  It  was  further 
agreed  that  if  either  party  had  sustained  losses  by  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  price  agreed  upon  at  the  time  of  signing 
the  agreement,  these  losses  should  be  recouped  in  the  period 
for  which  the  commission  fixed  the  price. 

In  accordance  with  this  plan  a  New  England  Milk  Com- 
mission was  appointed  by  Mr.  Hoover :  — 

Philip  R.  Allen,  Chairman. 
A.  W.  Gilbert,  Secretary. 


George  F.  Morris,  New  Hampshire. 
Elbert  S.  Brigham,  Vermont. 
Robert  Scoville,  Connecticut. 
John  S.  Murdock,  Rhode  Island. 
Walter  H.  Sawyer,  Maine. 
Robert  Winsor. 


A.  Lawrence  Lowell. 
Joseph  B.  Russell. 
J.  Frank  O'Hare. 
James  O.  Jordan. 
Reginald  W.  Bird. 
Henry  B.  Endicott. 


Dudley  N.  Hartt  (assistant  secretary  for  a  time). 
John  D.  Willard  (secretary  for  five  months). 

To  this  Commission  was  given  power  to  ascertain  the 
costs  of  production  and  distribution  of  milk  in  Boston,  and, 
if  it  seemed  advisable,  in  other  New  England  cities,  and  on 
the  basis  of  these  determined  costs,  to  fix  prices  to  producers 
and  to  consumers  which  would  yield  a  reasonable  profit  to 
both  producer  and  distributor. 

With  this  task  before  them  the  Commission  held  hearings 
in  the  latter  part  of  December,  1917.  Evidence  was  heard 
from  specialists  who  had  made  the  survey  in  the  various 
States  on  the  cost  of  production.     The  method  of  procedure 

430 


was  outlined,  and  the  figures  resulting'  from  this  survey  sub- 
jected to  analysis  and  question.  As  these  were  published 
in  pamphlet  form  by  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  in 
a  complete  report,  it  is  unnecessary  to  discuss  them  in 
detail  here.  On  the  basis  of  the  findings  of  the  Commission. 
prices  which  dealers  should  pay  to  producers  were  fixed  for 
the  period  from  January  1  to  April  1,  1918  (see  Appendix, 
page  567). 

Evidence  was  then  taken  concerning  the  costs  of  dis- 
tributing milk.  An  audit  had  been  made  of  the  accounts 
o^  distributors,  both  large  and  small,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Attorney-General  of  Massachusetts.  Thanks  to  his 
cordial  assistance  the  Commission  was  enabled  to  use  the 
results  of  this  survey,  and  on  the  basis  of  these  figures  a 
price  was  set  for  the  retail  and  wholesale  trade. 

It  was  found  that  in  previous  experience  surplus  quan- 
tities of  milk  had  caused  competitive  underbidding  on  the 
part  of  milk  distributors  to  wholesale,  or  can,  trade.  The 
losses  sustained  in  such  sale  of  milk,  at  less  than  the  cost 
of  distribution,  were  met  by  the  price  to  householders. 
The  same  was  the  case  with  regard  to  bottled  milk  delivered 
to  stores. 

At  this  stage  of  the  work  the  Commission  was  swamped 
by  complaints,  especially  with  regard  to  irresponsible  dealers, 
who,  by  slighting  sanitary  precautions  and  by  failure  to 
pay  fanners,  succeeded  in  cutting  under  the  established 
price.  Further  trouble  resulted  from  the  difficulty  of  co- 
ercing unlicensed  distributors  doing  a  business  of  less  than 
$100,000,  and  who  did  only  a  retail  trade.  The  case  of 
farmers  who  retailed  their  own  product  was  not  touched 
by  the  Commission.  Neither  did  the  Commission  attempt 
to  fix  prices  for  special  grades  of  milk  (certified,  inspected, 
etc.). 

As  the  end  of  the  first  three  months'  period  drew  near, 
the  dealers  began  to  complain  bitterly  of  surplus,  a  term 
the  meaning  of  which  is  explained  below,  and  of  the  fact 
that  the  price  to  farmers  must  go  down  as  surplus  increased. 

437 


The  Commission  tried  to  devise  a  means  of  determining  a 
price  for  surplus,  and  assessing  the  loss  occasioned  there- 
from upon  those  who  caused  it.  It  was  conceded  by  all 
parties  that  surplus  had  been  a  stumbling  block  as  between 
dealers  and  producers  in  time  past,  but  no  agreement  in 
regard  thereto  had  ever  been  reached.  So  much  did  the 
surplus  involve,  that  the  Commission  was  prepared  to  with- 
draw unless  both  parties  —  producers  and  distributors  — ■ 
agreed  to  assist  in  working  out  some  sort  of  surplus  plan 
which  would  determine  the  loss,  and  assess  that  loss  on 
those  producing  it. 

The  surplus  plan  was  finally  adopted  and  became  effec- 
tive May  1,  1918,  when  Philip  R.  Allen  was  appointed  Milk 
Administrator  for  New  England.  It  was  his  task  to  super- 
vise, under  the  control  of  the  Food  Administration,  the  work 
of  the  distributors  and  producers  in  the  matter  of  record 
svstems  and  cost  determination. 

Under  the  so-called  surplus  plan  the  Milk  Commission 
fixed  prices  for  milk  for  both  farmers  and  dealers.  The 
milk  product  supplied  by  the  farmers  was  held  to  consist 
of  two  parts:  first,  that  milk  which  the  dealers  were  able 
to  resell  to  the  public  as  whole  milk,  either  at  wholesale  or 
retail;  secondly,  the  "surplus  milk,"  that  is,  milk  taken 
over  by  the  dealer  but  which  he  was  unable  to  resell  as 
whole  milk,  and  which,  consequently,  went  into  manufac- 
tured by-products.  For  dealers,  wholesale  and  retail  prices 
to  be  charged  to  the  public  were  fixed  by  the  Commission. 
For  farmers,  a  fixed  price  was  established  for  the  resold  milk, 
as  defined  above.  For  surplus  milk  (not  resold  as  whole 
milk),  the  price  to  be  paid  to  the  farmer  was  to  be  on  the 
basis  of  the  return  received  when  this  portion  of  the  milk 
product  was  made  into  manufactured  by-product,  the 
dealers  having  agreed  to  manufacture  these  by-products 
without  profit  to  themselves.  During  the  spring  months 
the  quantity  of  surplus  milk  is  usually  large,  but  diminishes 
rapidly  during  the  summer  and  fall,  and  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  year  there  is  no  surplus;   in  fact,  during  these  months 

438 


dealers  usually  have  to  search  for  sources  of  milk  to  supply 
their  trade. 

Under  this  plan  the  Milk  Administrator  was  to  receive 
sworn  statements  from  milk  distributors  each  mouth,  stating 
the  exact  disposition  of  all  of  the  milk  which  they  had  re- 
ceived from  producers,  and  to  determine  market  prices  for 
the  various  surplus  products.  The  price  paid  to  farmers 
was  made  up  by  the  price  fixed  by  the  Commission  for 
whole  milk  and  the  prices  received  for  surplus  by-products. 
This  plan  enabled  the  Commission  to  fix  prices  for  milk 
which  entered  regularly  into  the  wholesale  and  retail  trade 
without  regard  to  manufactured  by-products.  The  plan 
proved  so  successful  that  it  was  adopted  quite  generally 
throughout  the  United  States  by  dealers  and  producers, 
and  was  continued  by  dealers  and  producers  in  New  England 
since  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  the  Commission. 

The  Milk  Commission  continued  to  hold  hearings,  and 
fixed  prices  usually  for  one  month  at  a  time.  These  prices 
were  based  upon  sworn  evidence  from  producers  and  dealers. 
The  secretary  of  the  Commission,  Dr.  Gilbert,  was  author- 
ized to  send  at  intervals  questionnaires  to  thousands  of 
milk  producers  throughout  New  England  for  the  purpose 
of  receiving  sworn  evidence  as  to  the  actual  labor  and  feed 
costs  prevailing. 

In  order  to  get  accurate  information  in  regard  to  the 
cost  of  distributing  milk,  the  Commission,  with  the  aid 
of  accounting  experts,  formulated  a  uniform  method  of  re- 
porting costs,  which  was  used  by  the  various  dealers  and 
resulted  in  bringing  the  data  concerning  costs  before  the 
Commission  on  a  uniform  and  comparable  basis. 

The  prices  fixed  by  the  Commission  were  generally  ac- 
ceptable to  all  parties.  The  producers  evidently  continued 
their  business  without  diminution,  and  with  possibly  a 
slight  improvement  in  country  conditions  during  the  year. 
The  milk  dealers  received  a  return  which  might  be  con- 
sidered fair  under  war  conditions,  although  not  as  large 
as  that  received  by  most  business  concerns,  nor  as  large  as 

439 


would  be  considered  sound  business  in  normal  times.  The 
consumers  were  generally  satisfied  with  the  prices,  as  is 
evidenced  by  the  steady  increase  in  the  consumption  of 
milk. 

When  the  armistice  was  signed,  the  wTork  of  the  Com- 
mission had  been  so  generally  acceptable  to  all  parties  that, 
because  of  existing  agreements  between  the  Commission  and 
the  producers  and  dealers,  it  was  allowed  to  continue  its 
activities  until  April  1,  1919. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  said  that  the  work  of  the  Com- 
mission served  several  useful  purposes:  first,  the  prices 
fixed,  based  on  careful  study,  seemed  to  be  fair  ones,  and 
as  a  result  of  these  the  industry  was  continued  without 
disorganization  throughout  the  war  period;  secondly,  the 
work  of  the  Commission  brought  about  a  stability,  and 
created  a  confidence  which  was  indispensable;  thirdly,  the 
surplus  plan  and  the  system  of  uniform  cost  reporting  are 
notable  contributions  to  the  milk  business,  valuable  not 
only  in  New  England  in  war  time,  but  throughout  the 
country  during  peace  times,  as  well;  and  fourthly,  the 
Commission  under  its  warrant  was  also  able  to  bring  about 
certain  economies  in  the  production  and  distribution  of 
milk  which  helped  materially  to  prevent  costs  from  rising 
to  unusually  high  figures. 

The  whole  question  of  milk,  its  production  and  distribution, 
was  seriously  handicapped  by  the  surprising  ignorance  met 
by  the  Commission  at  every  turn.  A  facetious  illustration 
of  this  will  be  found  in  the  point  of  view  entertained  by 
a  certain  sergeant  stationed  at  one  of  our  military  camps. 
The  strictest  orders  had  been  issued  against  the  infringement 
of  any  of  the  farmer's  rights,  when  the  sergeant  caught  one 
of  his  men,  in  flagrante  delicto,  milking  one  of  the  farmer's 
cows,  and  the  pail  half  full.  After  much  pleading  on  the 
part  of  the  culprit  the  sergeant  agreed,  not  to  report  him, 
adding:    "But  see  to  it  that  every  drop  is  put  back." 


440 


(e)    Campaign  for  Wider  Use  of  Dairy  Products 

Relieving  that  the  value  of  milk  and  milk  products  had 
never  been  fully  realized  by  the  consuming  public,  the 
Food  Administration  co-operated  with  the  Massachusetts 
Agricultural  College  and  the  State  Department  of  Agri- 
culture in  various  campaigns  to  promote  the  use  of  dairy 
products.  In  the  late  summer  and  fall  of  1917  an  illustrated 
circular  was  prepared  urging  the  wider  use  of  dairy  prod- 
ucts. This  was  issued  by  the  Food  Administration  and  the 
Dairy  Bureau  of  the  Massachusetts  Department  of  Agri- 
culture in  very  large  quantities,  urging  particularly  the  use 
"of  sufficient  milk  for  children  and  invalids.  Posters  setting 
forth  the  value  of  milk  as  a  food  were  also  endorsed  by  the 
Food  Administrator. 

In  the  summer  of  1918  a  campaign  was  carried  on  at  the 
instance  of  Washington  to  increase  the  use  of  cottage  cheese. 
Specialists  gave  demonstrations  in  many  parts  of  the  State. 
Several  interesting  menus  were  worked  out  in  which  the 
entire  meal  was  based  on  milk  and  milk  products.  The 
result  of  all  this  was  that  the  market  demand  for  cottage 
cheese  through  retail  stores  was  materially  increased.  Al- 
though at  that  time  the  supply  of  milk  was  diminishing  in 
consequence  of  the  demand  for  export  butter  and  the  re- 
sulting diversion  of  milk  to  butter  factories,  yet  enough 
was  accomplished  to  prove  that  soft  cheeses  have  great 
possibilities  in  the  markets  of  the  future,  and  to  convince 
many  householders  that  their  home  manufacture  is  neither 
difficult  nor  unprofitable. 

Special  milk  consumption  campaigns  were  also  under- 
taken by  the  Federal  Milk  Commission  for  New  England. 

(f)    Committee  on  Fish 

One  of  Mr.  Hoover's  first  announcements  was  a  state- 
ment that  meat  of  every  kind,  especially  pork,  beef  and 
mutton,  were  most  seriously  needed  by  the  Allies,  and  would 
be  in  still  greater  demand  for  our  own  armies  when  they 
reached   Europe.     Following   the  example   of   Canada   the 

441 


Massachusetts  Food  Administration  accordingly  appointed 
a  Committee  on  Fish,  in  the  belief  that  an  increased  use  of 
fish  would  decrease  the  consumption  of  meat,  and  thereby 
effect  a  substantial  saving  of  the  latter.  The  Committee 
consisted  of  — 

James  J.  Phelan,  Chairman. 
Matthew  Luce,  Secretary. 
George  H.  Lyman. 
John  F.  Stevens. 

It  seemed  to  the  Committee  that  Massachusetts,  tradi- 
tionally the  largest  fish  consuming  State  in  the  LTnion,  and 
with  an  increasing  fish  business,  was  in  a  position  to  lead  the 
way  in  such  a  change.  A  meeting  of  the  New  England, 
Boston  and  Massachusetts  Hotel  Men's  Associations  was 
called,  and  the  increased  use  of  fish  in  public  eating  houses 
thoroughly  discussed.  It  was  agreed  by  all  parties  that, 
provided  the  fish  supply  were  augmented,  hotels  and  res- 
taurants would  be  able  to  set  a  pace  that  would  furnish  an 
excellent  foundation  for  appeals  to  consumers  in  private 
households. 

The  Committee  was  at  once  confronted  with  a  demand 
that  the  fish  industry  be  investigated  by  the  Food  Adminis- 
tration for  the  purpose  of  more  stringent  control.  As  both 
the  Federal  and  State  governments  had  this  in  hand,  it 
seemed  not  only  unnecessary  but  very  unwise  for  the  Food 
Administration  to  duplicate  efforts,  and  so  create  confu- 
sion and  a  natural  feeling  of  resentment  on  the  part  of  other 
agencies  already  in  the  field. 

The  Food  Administration  believed  that  its  appointed 
task  was  rather  to  bring  about  a  proper .  distribution  of 
supplies  and  effective  conservation  of  exportable  foods,  and 
that  it  should  concern  itself  with  four  major  problems:  — 

1.  An  increase  in  the  catch  of  fish. 

2.  A  larger  consumption  of  fish  by  an  instructed  public. 

3.  An  educational  campaign  relative  to  the  proper  cooking  and  utili- 
zation of  fish. 

4.  Assistance  in  the  matter  of  transportation. 

442 


It  was  evident,  with  the  prevailing  high  prices  and  a 
demand  outrunning  the  supply,  that  nothing  could  be  done 
to  stimulate  increased  consumption  unless  anticipated   by 

increased  production,  and  the  Committee  bent  its  efforts  to 
that  end.  Of  the  fleet  of  17  trawlers  which  were  in  service 
at  the  beginning  of  the  season  of  11)17,  the  United  States 
government  had  commandeered  13.  8  going  to  the  United 
States  Navy,  2  to  Canada,  and  3  to  Russia.  The  produc- 
tive capacity  of  these  13  trawlers  was  not  less  than  50,000,000 
pounds  per  annum,  at  the  most  conservative  estimate. 
Several  trawlers  were  on  the  ways  in  process  of  construc- 
tion, and  in  addition  a  large  number  of  schooners  and  small 
boats  were  being  completed  for  service.  About  400  schooners 
and  1,000  smaller  boats  had  composed  the  fishing  fleet  in 
1917.  As  the  government  had  already  taken  measurements 
of  schooners  and  trawlers  on  the  ways,  it  was  expected  by 
their  owners  that  as  soon  as  the  boats  were  launched  they 
would  be  requisitioned.  This  acted  as  a  serious  deterrent  to 
the  men  who  had  been  counting  on  their  use. 

The  Committee  immediately  took  up  with  the  Washing- 
ton office  of  the  Food  Administration  and  with  the  Navy 
Department  the  return  of  these  boats  to  the  fishing  service. 
Mr.  Phelan,  after  visiting  the  authorities  at  Washington,  in 
behalf  of  the  Committee,  was  convinced  that  the  return  of 
boats  already  taken  was  out  of  the  question.  He  was  able, 
however,  to  urge  that  the  government  must  release  its 
claim  on  boats  in  process  of  construction,  and  especially  on 
schooners  and  lighter  craft  which  had  been  measured  and 
were  under  consideration  for  the  navy.  The  result  was 
that  no  more  trawlers  were  taken  from  the  fleet  during  the 
season  of  1917.  The  new  boats  added  to  the  fleet  were  of 
the  more  modern  type,  and  their  catch  reached  at  times  over 
300,000  pounds  a  trip  per  boat. 

In  the  season  of  1918  the  government  again  depleted  the 
fleet  by  taking  four  more  trawlers,  but  in  the  meantime  the 
entrv  of  many  more  small  boats  into  the  fishing  service 
partly  offset  this  depletion.     It  is  probable  that  the  loss  of 

443 


these  last  boats  requisitioned  did  not  seriously  reduce  the 
amount  of  fish  coming  into  the  market  as  much  as  did  the 
taking  of  the  first  thirteen  trawlers  in  1917. 

One  of  the  last  activities  of  the  Committee  on  Fish  was  to 
take  up  with  the  Navy  Department  the  matter  of  adequate 
protection  for  both  steam  and  sailing  vessels.  After  submarine 
attacks  had  begun  on  the  Banks,  it  was  but  natural  that 
owners  and  crews  should  hesitate  to  venture  out  unless  they 
were  given  armament  or  protection  by  naval  patrol  craft. 
This  proved  satisfactory  to  both  owners  and  crews,  and 
thereafter  fishing  continued  without  serious  interruption. 

The  second  problem  was  that  of  the  losses  sustained  by 
crews  from  enlistment  in  the  navy.  The  Committee  urged 
that  men  be  encouraged  to  stay  in  the  fishing  service,  as 
this  method  would  in  the  end  better  subserve  the  country's 
needs,  but  deemed  it  unwise  to  ask  for  the  return  of  men 
who  had  already  enlisted.  While  loss  of  men  to  naval  and 
merchant  marine  service  was  continuous  during  the  war,  the 
Committee  remained  convinced  that  the  work  of  skilled 
men  in  the  fishing  fleets  was  quite  as  necessary  to  the  de- 
sired result  as  service  in  the  armed  forces. 

Again,  early  in  the  year  1918,  the  fishing  industry  was 
seriously  crippled  because  of  dissensions  between  owners  and 
fishermen's  unions.  Indirect  labor  problems  also  came  up, 
due  to  the  fact  that  fishermen  generally  work  on  what  is 
termed  a  "lay,"  or  interest  in  the  catch,  so  that  their  re- 
turns are  in  part  based  on  a  percentage  of  the  total  profit 
of  the  trip.  The  men  strongly  maintained  that  the  prices 
paid  fishermen  were  too  low,  at  the  same  time  charging 
distributors  and  middlemen  with  making  excessive  profits. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Food  Administration  knew  that  if 
prices  advanced  it  would  be  impossible  greatly  to  stimulate 
the  consumption  of  fish,  but  as  no  data  were  at  hand  to 
guide  in  settling  the  controversy,  this  phase  of  the  matter 
had  to  be  allowed  to  adjust  itself  with  what  little  assistance 
the  Committee  could  offer.  Mr.  Endicott,  as  already  seen, 
succeeded   in    arbitrating    these    troubles,    and    the    actual 

444 


interruptions  in  production   resulting  therefrom  were  not 

extensive. 

The  consensus  of  opinion  is  that  no  one  can  become  a 
skilled  fisherman  in  less  than  six  months'  time.  Because  of 
the  frequent  losses  of  men  by  enlistment,  and  the  attrac- 
tiveness of  higher  wages  elsewhere,  the  fishing  fleel  had  to 
be  manned  during  the  entire  season  of  1917  with  too  large 
a  percentage  of  unskilled  hands,  a  condition  the  natural 
result  of  which  was  to  reduce  production. 

In  spite  of  all  these  handicaps  the  total  take  of  6sh  in 
^,917  was  greater  than  the  average  catch  during  the  years 
immediately  preceding.  Fishing  conditions  seemed  ideal. 
Not  only  was  the  supply  remarkable,  but  the  amount  of 
bait  obtainable  unusual.  These  two  factors  contributed 
much  to  the  final  success  of  the  Committee's  efforts. 

As  soon  as  the  Committee  felt  assured  that  the  supply 
would  warrant  the  request,  appeals  were  given  out  urging 
consumers  to  make  greater  use  of  fish  as  a  substitute  for 
meat.  The  hotels,  clubs  and  eating  houses  promptly  ac- 
cepted this  program,  and  through  their  menus,  and  the 
reaction  of  these  on  householders,  a  good  start  was  given. 
In  September,  1917,  the  New  England  hotel  and  restaurant 
proprietors  were  called  in  to  discuss  various  matters,  and 
among  them  the  question  of  having  two  fish  days  each 
week  instead  of  one.  While  an  agreement  was  not  reached 
as  to  details,  the  general  program  was  believed  to  be  wise, 
and  Massachusetts  proceeded  with  a  clear-cut  campaign  for 
increased  consumption.  It  was  the  intention  to  secure, 
first,  the  universal  observance  of  Friday  for  fish  dav  all  over 
the  State;  then  to  secure  the  observance  of  Tuesday  as  a 
second  fish  and  meatless  day;  and  finally  to  encourage  the 
use  of  fish  at  all  times  in  the  week  by  those  who  had  a  liking 
for  this  kind  of  food. 

Obstacles  at  once  appeared,  for  it  developed  that  many 
people  had  no  taste  for  fish,  and  after  a  little  inquiry  the 
Committee  were  convinced  that  this  distaste  in  many  in- 
stances resulted  in  improper  preparation.     To  meet    this, 

44,5 


educational  work  was  necessary,  and  at  once  the  Committee 
made  ready  a  booklet  giving  various  forms  of  recipes  for 
cooking  and  serving  fish.  One  section  of  these  recipes  was 
passed  upon  by  chefs  of  clubs  and  hotels;  the  ingredients 
of  another  section  were  censored  by  experts  in  home  eco- 
nomics, in  order  that  the  least  possible  call  might  be  made 
for  fats,  wheat  and  other  commodities  more  particularly 
needed  abroad.  When  the  book  was  ready,  40,000  copies 
were  distributed  through  women's  committees  in  cities  and 
towns,  and  fish  dealers  had  50,000  more  printed  and  dis- 
tributed over  their  counters  to  customers.  The  request  for 
the  booklet  soon  exceeded  the  supply,  and  a  further  issue 
might  well  have  been  circulated. 

In  the  propaganda  for  larger  consumption  of  fish,  the  Sub- 
Committees  on  Public  Safety  and  Food,  of  the  various 
cities  and  towns  were  of  very  great  service.  The  press  and 
various  organizations  of  the  State  also  took  up  the  cam- 
paign, with  the  result  that  for  some  months  the  two  fish 
days  were  regularly  observed. 

One  of  the  greatest  obstacles  which  the  Committee  en- 
countered in  its  efforts  was  the  constantly  increasing  retail 
price  of  fish.  This  was  due,  unfortunately,  to  the  fact  that 
with  the  national  growth  of  the  movement  for  a  greater 
consumption  of  fish,  a  constantly  increasing  demand  fell  on 
the  Boston  supply,  thus  reducing  the  quantity  which  went 
into  that  city's  markets.  The  Committee  made  a  study  of 
the  cost  of  distribution,  and  found  that  the  fish  dealer  who 
was  not  also  a  provision  or  meat  dealer  had  to  main- 
tain his  establishment  six  days  a  week,  with  only  a  day  and 
a  half  (Thursday  afternoon  and  Friday)  of  really  good 
business. 

The  extra  fish  day  naturally  helped  the  situation;  but 
distribution  of  fish  is  always  accompanied  by  a  high  per- 
centage of  waste  and  spoilage,  while,  moreover,  the  over- 
head expenses  of  the  fish  dealer  advance  in  proportion  to 
the  volume  of  business,  bv  reason  of  the  forced  idleness  of 
men  and  equipment  on  other  than  fish  days.     When  fish  is 

446 


handled  by  meat  or  provision  stores,  the  increased  purchase 
of  fish  is  offset  by  the  decreased  purchase  of  meat.  The 
store,  therefore,  works  at  about  an  even  capacity  every  day 
of  the  week,  the  same  employees  selling  fish  on  Thursday 
and  Friday,  and  meat  the  rest  of  the  week.  Likewise,  de- 
livery equipment,  in  a  fish  market  idle  much  of  the  week,  is 
uninterruptedly  employed  by  the  general  market  dealer. 

The  county  food  administrators  and  the  public  in  general 
were  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  watching  market  re- 
ports on  fish  as  given  in  the  various  newspapers,  and  con- 
fining purchases  as  far  as  possible  to  those  fish  advertised 
as  more  plentiful.  It  was  also  pointed  out  that  several 
kinds  of  fish  were  caught  in  abundant  quantities  in  their 
proper  seasons  off  our  own  shores,  which  had  previously 
been  consumed  very  little,  if  at  all,  in  Massachusetts,  al- 
though popular  in  other  States.  The  public  were  accord- 
ingly urged  to  use  these  less  known  and  cheaper  fish,  equally 
good  and  palatable  as  food,  but  not  so  fashionable.  The 
Committee  was  successful  in  increasing  the  consumption  of 
gray  fish,  skate,  whiting,  squid,  shark,  dog  fish,  etc.  A  drive 
was  also  made  early  in  1918  for  whiting,  by  means  of 
which  the  public  of  Massachusetts  were  induced  to  consume 
about  one-quarter  of  a  million  pounds  of  frozen  whiting,  at 
a  cost  of  about  8  cents  per  pound  to  the  consumer.  Hereto- 
fore the  consumption  of  this  fish  in  Massachusetts  was  prac- 
tically nil. 

It  was  also  evident  that  waste  in  transportation  was  no 
small  factor.  The  combined  shipments  of  small  lots  of  fish 
by  various  individuals  might  amount  in  total  to  a  car  lot, 
but  transportation  was  at  small-lot  rates.  The  Committee, 
therefore,  worked  with  the  fish  wholesalers  to  secure  maxi- 
mum car  lot  shipments  wherever  it  was  possible,  and  with 
successful  results.  This  was  particularly  worth  while  in  the 
case  of  shipments  going  out  of  the  State.  Cars  had  often 
been  loaded  with  not  over  1.5,000  pounds,  where  30,000 
pounds  would  not  have  taxed  the  capacity  of  a  single  car. 
The  maximum  utilization  of  car  space  both  diminished  the 

447 


number  of  cars  in  transit  at  any  given  time,  and  made  pos- 
sible quicker  handling.  In  the  same  way  the  Committee 
arranged  the  shipment  of  fish  in  large  lots  to  various  centers, 
as  in  the  case  of  Springfield  and  Worcester. 

A  conference  was  held  with  the  representatives  of  the 
various  railroads  and  trolley  lines  radiating  from  Boston, 
whereby  better  attention  was  given  to  the  quicker  move- 
ment of  fish,  while  the  amount  of  waste  and  spoilage  in 
transit  was  lessened. 

The  Committee  noticed  that  the  Fish  Pier  in  South  Bos- 
ton had  no  rail  connection.  It  was  further  discovered  that 
plans  had  been  formed  some  six  years  before,  and  part  of 
the  track  equipment  secured,  to  extend  the  tracks  of  the 
Boston  Elevated  to  the  pier  in  order  to  facilitate  direct  load- 
ing, but  no  further  progress  had  been  made.  This  subject 
was  taken  up  by  Mr.  Phelan  with  the  authorities  respon- 
sible for  the  pier  control,  with  the  Elevated  Railway,  and 
with  the  Waterways  Commission,  and  eventually  the  spur 
track  was  completed  and  opened  for  service. 

The  Committee  also  took  up  the  question  of  shipment 
facilities  in  the  South  Boston  terminals.  It  appeared  that 
on  one  occasion  teams  laden  with  fish  had  waited  until  the 
close  of  the  day  for  access  to  express  freight  cars.  The  cars 
assigned  for  the  movement  of  this  fish  were  spotted  behind 
platforms  piled  high  with  heavy  hardware,  and  loading  was 
impossible.  At  the  end  of  the  day,  therefore,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  take  the  fish  to  the  Adams  Express  Company,  and 
ship  it  by  express,  the  ultimate  consumers  being,  of  course, 
obliged  to  pay  a  higher  price  to  cover  the  cost.  The  rail- 
roads co-operated  as  far  as  the  existing  conditions  of  pres- 
sure and  congestion  permitted,  and  promptness  of  ship- 
ment was  greatly  improved. 

The  work  of  the  Fish  Committee  was  practically  over 
when  the  restrictions  regarding  the  consumption  of  beef 
were  removed,  and  our  people  permitted  to  resume  their 
normal  habits  in  the  use  of  food.  In  the  meantime  various 
inquiries,  both   State   and   Federal,  were  being   conducted 

448 


regarding  the  fish  industry  as  a  whole.  In  these  the  Com- 
mittee did  not  feel  itself  called  upon  to  take  part,  but, 
having  done  what  it  could  to  promote  increased  production 
and  a  wider  distribution  of  fish,  for  the  sake  of  which  they 
had  been  appointed,  ceased  further  activity. 

(g)    Poultry  and   Eggs 

In  July,  1917,  the  following  Committee  on  Poultry  and 
Eggs  was  appointed:  — 

James  J.  Phelan,  Chairman. 
Matthew  Luce.  Secretary. 
George  H.  Lyman. 
John  F.  Stevens. 

It  presently  held  conferences  with  the  various  interests 
connected  with  the  poultry  business,  and  found  that  in 
New  England  poultry  was  not  moving  at  all,  and  this,  not- 
withstanding that  the  amount  of  poultry  in  cold  storage  was 
probably  the  largest  ever  known.  As  of  July  1,  1917,  it 
was  estimated  that  some  56,000,000  pounds  of  poultry  of 
all  kinds  was  in  cold  storage  throughout  the  country,  as 
against  what  might  be  considered  a  normal  amount  of 
25,000,000  pounds. 

The  question  of  price  lay  at  the  bottom  of  the  failure  of 
poultry  to  sell.  The  consumer  was  indignant  at  the  charges 
made  him,  and  yet  investigation  proved  that  birds  coming 
into  cold  storage  the  previous  autumn  (1916)  were  put  in  at 
rather  high  prices,  which,  with  the  added  expense  incident 
to  carrying  them  for  a  period  of  six  to  eight  months,  greatly 
increased  the  cost  to  the  owners.  Nevertheless,  the  Com- 
mittee pointed  out  to  both  wholesalers  and  owners  that  the 
poultry  in  storage  was  still  on  hand,  and  was  not  moving, 
and  that  in  order  to  move  it  a  material  reduction  in  price 
would  probably  have  to  be  made.  The  Committee  further 
promised  that  if  assured  that  prices  should  not  be  further 
advanced,  but  would  rather  tend  downward,  it  woidd  rec- 
ommend to  the  public  as  a  patriotic  duty  the  consumption 

449 


of  poultry  in  order  to  conserve  beef,  pork  and  other  meat 
necessary  for  our  army  and  the  needs  of  our  Allies. 

This  proposition  met  with  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the 
wholesalers,  and  so  far  as  Massachusetts  and  New  England 
generally  was  concerned,  and  to  a  certain  degree  throughout 
the  country,  a  decided  reduction  took  place  in  the  amount 
of  poultry  on  hand.  But  the  amount  in  cold  storage  on 
October  19,  1917,  was  still  large,  as  indicated  by  the  gov- 
ernment reports,  which  showed  some  51,000,000  pounds  on 
September  1,  and  on  October  1  upwards  of  42,000,000  pounds, 
of  which  about  4,300,000  pounds  was  in  New  England.  The 
greater  part  of  this  consisted  of  turkey,  and  was  substan- 
tially taken  care  of  at  Thanksgiving. 

Another  drive  was  made,  with  the  express  approval  of 
Mr.  Hoover,  to  advance  the  consumption  of  poultry,  with 
the  understanding  that  no  advantage  in  the  way  of  higher 
prices  should  accrue  either  to  the  producer,  the  wholesaler 
or  the  retailer.  Indeed,  there  was  no  good  reason  why 
prices  should  advance.  On  the  contrary,  by  reason  of  the 
large  supply  of  frozen  birds,  augmented  as  it  was  by  an 
immediate  increase  of  freshly  killed  poultry,  the  price  of 
all  kinds  of  poultry  should  have  declined. 

The  November  drive  was  very  successful,  and  resulted  in 
a  decided  conservation  of  beef,  pork,  mutton  and  other  meats 
necessary  for  foreign  shipment.  During  the  remainder  of 
the  year  1917,  and  well  into  1918,  the  supply  of  cold-storage 
poultry  rapidly  decreased.  On  October  4,  1917,  the  leading 
dealers  met  with  the  Committee,  and  at  the  latter's  sug- 
gestion it  was  agreed  that  one-half  of  the  stocks  of  poultry 
already  in  cold  storage  for  a  year  were  to  be  withdrawn  within 
one  month,  and  the  other  half  in  four  months.  Through 
this  understanding  the  surplus  supply  was  further  and 
materially  reduced. 

The  custom  in  Massachusetts  has  been  to  allow  cold 
storage  permits  for  one  year,  with  a  renewal  up  to  another 
six  months  if  the  supplies  are  found  in  good  condition  on 
examination.     In  accordance  with  representations  from  the 

450 


Committee,  the  board  of  health  extended  this  time  in  some 
cases  where  conditions  warranted. 

On  account  of  the  high  cost  of  grain  and  Iced,  the  poultry 
situation  in  New  England,  and  especially  in  Massachusetts, 
was  had,  and  most  of  the  large  poultry  farms  in  the  Com- 
monwealth were  forced  to  shut  down.  Unlike  poultry  rais- 
ing in  the  West,  where  birds  run  at  will  over  large  farms, 
the  flocks  in  Massachusetts  were  practically  entirely  de- 
pendent on  feed  purchased  by  their  owners.  Hence  in  the 
early  part  of  1918  Mr.  Endicott  issued  a  circular  letter  to 
a.11  boards  of  health  in  the  various  cities  and  towns  in  the 
State,  asking  them  to  make  as  liberal  an  interpretation  of 
their  laws  as  possible,  in  order  to  encourage  the  raising  of 
backyard  flocks  of  poultry. 

In  February,  1918,  a  rule  directing  that  hens  should  not 
be  killed  was  announced  from  Washington,  — ■  a  restriction 
which  worked  considerable  hardship  to  the  poultry  raisers 
in  Massachusetts  on  account  of  the  existing  high  price  of 
feed.  Various  meetings  were  held  by  the  Committee  with 
poultry  owners  and  raisers  and  the  kosher  killing  trade,  and 
with  the  consent  of  the  Federal  Administration  arrangements 
were  made  relaxing  the  rule  in  some  instances. 

During  the  late  fall  of  1917  a  large  stock  of  eggs  also  was 
in  cold  storage.  Mr.  Phelan,  with  Mr.  Priebe,  head  of  the 
United  States  Poultry  Division,  produced  a  plan  satisfac- 
tory both  to  the  egg  dealers  and  to  Washington.  By  this 
arrangement  eggs  which  might  lose  their  food  qualities  by 
remaining  too  long  in  cold  storage  were  successfully  dis- 
posed of  in  proper  condition,  and  speculation  thereby 
largely  eliminated. 

Owing  to  the  general  shortage  of  poultry  throughout  the 
United  States  in  the  early  spring  of  1918,  and  the  high  price 
of  feed,  there  was  no  further  difficulty  with  stocks  in  cold 
storage,  whether  of  eggs  or  poultry.  The  rule  against  killing 
hens  expired  on  April  1,  1918.  The  industry  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  especially  in  Massachusetts,  however,  was  un- 
questionably very  hard  hit. 

4.->l 


Many  meetings  on  the  poultry  and  egg  situation  were 
held  by  the  Committee  with  leading  dealers  and  exchanges 
interested  in  the  matter,  and  often  the  railroads  and  express 
companies  in  consultation  with  the  Committee  were  able 
to  adjust  difficulties  involving  transportation. 

The  subject  of  egg  breakage  was  also  thoroughly  examined. 
Orders  from  Washington  restricting  the  use  of  certain  kinds 
of  packing  cases  were  received,  and  instructions  in  accord- 
ance therewith  given  to  the  trade.  -It  would  seem,  however, 
that  heavy  loss  from  egg  breakage  is  likely  to  remain. 

(h)    Sugar  Division 

During  the  whole  life  of  its  activity,  Mr.  Ratshesky  had 
the  directing  control  over  this  division.  Any  questions  of 
policy  and  other  important  problems  were  often  referred  to 
him  for  final  decision,  and  his  judgment  proved  of  great 
assistance. 

In  October,  1917,  dealers  and  consumers  throughout  the 
Commonwealth  began  to  complain  of  serious  difficulty  in 
obtaining  supplies  of  sugar.  Therefore  in  December  Mr. 
Endicott,  who  had  in  the  meantime  put  Mr.  Edward 
Wigglesworth  in  immediate  charge  of  the  Sugar  Division 
(see  Appendix,  page  569)  appointed  the  following  Emergency 
Sugar  Distribution  Committee,  which  included  in  its  mem- 
bership twelve  wholesale  dealers  and  large  users  of  sugar :  — 


W.  H.  Logan,  Chairman. 
W.  C.  Adams,  Secretary. 


B.  H.  Bain. 
E.  R.  Sherburne. 
Walworth  Pierce. 
H.  A.  Johnson. 
George  F.  Schrafft. 


Charles  F.  Adams. 
H.  J.  McMackin. 
W.  F.  Potter. 
H.  B.  Johnson. 
James  B.  Clark. 


Under  the  guidance  of  this  body  complaints  from  towns  and 
from  dealers  unable  to  procure  sugar  were  taken  up  with 
those  wholesalers  who  had  supplies,  and  an  equitable  dis- 
tribution among  them  made  it  possible  for  the  various  com- 


452 


munities  of  the  State  to  secure  small  supplies  with  such 
frequency  that  little  hardship  resulted.  Grocers  were  for- 
bidden to  require  combination  sales  of  other  commodities 
with  sugar,  and  retail  prices  for  sugar  were  fixed  by  the  Food 
Administration.  Grocers  were  also  requested  not  to  sell  to 
any  person  other  than  a  regular  customer,  nor  to  sell  to 
children. 

The  License  Division,  then  handling  matters  of  enforce- 
ment, considered  a  great  many  complaints,  the  majority  of 
which  proved  to  be  groundless.  In  the  few  cases  which 
seemed  flagrant  enough  to  demand  action,  penalties  were 
imposed.  The  shortage  continued  acute  through  November 
and  December.  Toward  the  latter  part  of  January  the  new- 
crop  of  Cuban  sugar  began  to  arrive,  and  the  situation 
rapidly  improved.  A  slight  shortage  continued,  however, 
until  about  the  1st  of  March. 

The  second  stage  of  the  Sugar  Division's  work  came  with 
orders  from  Washington  on  May  7,  that  all  manufacturers 
requiring  sugar  be  rationed  on  the  basis  of  their  own  state- 
ments of  their  normal  consumption.  Two  classes  were  rec- 
ognized :  Class  A,  including  all  the  so-called  less  essential 
industries,  and  Class  B,  known  as  essential  industries.  Man- 
ufacturers listed  in  Class  A  were  allowed  50  per  cent  of  their 
normal  supply;  those  in  Class  B,  100  per  cent.  It  now  be- 
came necessary  to  employ  a  much  larger  staff  for  sugar 
work,  as  statements  were  required  from  all  manufacturers, 
including  drug  stores,  while  .50,000  certificates  were  issued 
by  the  Sugar  Division  for  June  alone.  These  certificates 
entitled  manufacturers  to  purchase  from  wholesalers  or  re- 
finers the  amount  certified.  Manufacturers  were  prohibited 
from  purchasing  without  certificates,  and  dealers  were  sub- 
ject to  revocation  of  license  if  they  sold  to  manufacturers 
except  upon  surrender  of  their  certificates.  This  arrange- 
ment became  effective  May  15. 

From  July  1  onward  the  third  phase  of  sugar  control 
developed.  Five  classes  of  sugar  users  were  tabulated,  as 
follows:    Class  A,   less  essential   manufacturers;    Class   B, 

453 


essential  manufacturers;  Class  C,  public  eating  places; 
Class  D,  bakers;  Class  E,  retail  grocers.  To  each  one  of 
these  classes  a  stipulated  amount  of  sugar  was  allowed:  to 
Class  A,  50  per  cent  of  that  used  during  the  first  half  of 
1917;  to  Class  B,  100  per  cent;  to  Class  C,  3  pounds  of  sugar 
for  every  90  meals  served,  using  as  a  basis  the  meals  served 
during  July,  August  and  September,  1917  (or  the  amount 
used  in  June,  1918,  multiplied  by  3);  to  Class  D,  70  per  cent 
of  the  sugar  used  during  July,  August  and  September,  1917 
(or  in  June,  1918,  multiplied  by  3);  to  Class  E,  100  per  cent 
of  the  sugar  sold  by  them  during  April,  May  and  June,  1917 
(or  June,  1918,  multiplied  by  3).  The  supply  so  appor- 
tioned was  for  the  three  months  of  July,  August  and  Sep- 
tember; but  certificates  were  issued  in  monthly  install- 
ments, since  it  was  feared  the  issue  of  certificates  for  three 
months  would  cause  so  great  a  demand  on  wholesalers  and 
refiners  that  immediate  shortage  would  follow. 

Again  the  staff  had  to  be  greatly  increased,  to  more  than 
one  hundred,  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  the  volume  of  work. 
Statements  were  printed  and  furnished  to  over  30,000  pur- 
chasers, and  when  filled  out  and  returned  were  tabulated 
and  corrected.  On  the  basis  of  these  statements  250,000 
certificates  were  issued  monthly.  As  might  be  expected,  an 
enormous  amount  of  misunderstanding  arose,  due  in  part 
to  the  necessary  complexity  of  the  system,  but  in  still 
greater  measure  to  the  ignorance,  carelessness  and  cupidity 
of  purchasers. 

Certificates  were  issued  on  the  basis  of  instructions  re- 
ceived from  Washington;  and  when  the  apportionment  for 
the  State  of  Massachusetts  was  announced,  about  the  mid- 
dle of  July,  it  was  discovered  that  the  certificates  called  for 
more  than  twice  the  available  supply  of  sugar.  The  allot- 
ment to  all  users  was  cut  in  varying  degrees,  according  to 
the  different  classes,  and  by  this  means  the  amount  of  over- 
issue was  greatly  reduced.  This  caused  severe  hardship  to 
those  who  had  made  their  statements  honestly,  while  those 
who  had  overstated  their  needs  in  the  first  instance  profited 

454 


in  proportion.  Readjustment  of  allotments  necessitated  the 
immediate  establishment  of  an  inspection  service,  and  for  a 
long  time  the  Division  of  Enforcement  was  overworked 
with  cases  of  fraudulent  statements  made  to  the  Sugar  Divi- 
sion. To  meet  the  congestion  and  multiplicity  of  cases,  the 
refiners  and  various  firms  who  were  large  handlers  of  sugar 
gave  the  services  of  men  from  their  own  staffs,  with  whose 
assistance  it  became  possible  to  help  those  who  had  been 
left  with  too  short  a  supply.  To  add  to  the  confusion,  the 
home  canning  season  was  at  its  height;  but  special  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  issue  of  supplies  to  householders,  in 
order  that  fruit  products  might  not  be  wasted.  The  issue 
of  these  canning  certificates  opened  the  door  for  enormous 
misrepresentation,  which  required  the  greatest  care  to  hold 
down  to  a  minimum.  Nevertheless,  it  was  the  universal 
conviction  of  all  administrators  by  whom  certificates  were 
issued,  that  the  gain  in  the  saving  of  foodstuff's  far  offset 
any  loss  through  unfairness  of  would-be  canners,  and  that 
the  percentage  of  dishonesty  was  much  less  than  was  to  have 
been   expected. 

In  September  a  careful  estimate  of  the  sugar  needs  of 
each  town  was  made  on  the  basis  of  two  pounds  per  person 
per  month,  and  a  proportionate  quota  allotted  to  each  local 
grocer. 

After  the  sudden  collapse  of  hostilities,  word  was  received 
about  Thanksgiving  time  that  the  December  issue  of  cer- 
tificates would  be  the  last,  and  instructions  were  given  for 
the  dismissal  of  all  Sugar  Division  employees. 

In  fact,  within  two  days  the  most  highly  organized  divi- 
sion of  the  Massachusetts  Food  Administration  disappeared, 
and  all  that  was  left  in  the  first  week  of  December  was 
a  few  clerks  completing  the  systematic  filing  of  records  and 
answering  the  inquiries  which  still  came  in.  By  the  middle 
of  December  the  doors  of  the  Sugar  Division  were  locked,  and 
early  in  January  the  records  were  shipped  to  Washington. 

No  branch  of  the  Food  Administration  work  illustrated 
more  clearly  the  policy  which  Mr.  Hoover  adhered  to  through- 

455 


out  the  life  of  the  Food  Administration.  As  far  back  as  the 
fall  of  1917  calls  came  from  consumers  for  a  rationing  sys- 
tem, and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  these  calls  were  from 
the  wealthy  rather  than  the  poor,  the  former  claiming  that 
if  rationing  were  adopted  they  would  be  the  first  to  live  up 
to  the  mark.  As  Mr.  Hoover  was  always  adverse  to  the 
system  of  rationing,  he  sought  to  control  distribution  only 
up  to  the  point  where  the  commodity  left  the  hands  of  the 
retailer  and  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  consumer,  and 
to  place  no  coercion  whatever  on  the  latter.  The  single 
deviation  from  this  policy  was  in  the  case  of  canning  supplies, 
which  were  rationed  through  the  county  administrators  to 
the  applicants  who  wished  to  undertake  canning  work. 
During  the  critical  shortage  of  midsummer  1918,  calls 
again  became  very  insistent  from  many  quarters  for  a  full 
and  extensive  rationing  system,  but  Mr.  Hoover  refused  to 
consent  to  any  deviation  from  his  established  policy. 

The  Massachusetts  Food  Administration  also  furnished 
assistance,  in  the  way  of  advice,  to  grocers,  who  organized 
grocers'  distributing  committees  in  the  various  cities,  on  the 
basis  of  population.  In  some  cases,  where  the  grocers' 
organization  was  adequate,  the  entire  block  of  certificates 
was  turned  over  to  the  grocers'  committee  for  apportion- 
ment to  the  grocers  in  their  respective  communities.  The 
Massachusetts  Administration  felt  this  to  be  justified,  be- 
cause the  plan  came  in  the  form  of  urgent  requests  from 
consumers,  and  also  because  it  was  concurred  in  by  the  trade 
actually  handling  the  commodity.  While  the  administra- 
tion still  refused  to  become  a  party  to  the  program,  it  placed 
no  obstacles  in  the  way  of  its  development,  and  referred 
inquiries  to  such  communities  as  had  made  a  success  of  the 
venture. 

It  was  noticeable  that  in  those  places  where  sugar  coupons 
were  used,  the  Food  Administration  received  little,  if  any, 
complaint,  this  proving  clearly  that  the  coupon  or  card 
system  of  rationing  was  as  acceptable  to  the  people  of  the 
Commonwealth  as  it  was  equitable. 

456 


AMiile  it  is  idle  to  conjecture  to  what  price  sugar  might 
have  risen  as  the  result  of  profiteering,  there  is  no  doubt 
whatever  that  supplies  would  have  been  absolutely  with- 
held from  a  large  part  of  the  people,  and  that  the  price  would 
have  risen  to  prohibitive  heights,  except  for  the  intervention 
of  the  Food  Administration. 

During  July,  1018,  the  most  strenuous  month  of  shortage, 
two  pounds  per  capita  were  allowed,  1  hereby  making  a 
saving  in  that  month  alone  of  at  least  $800,000.  Taking 
the  time  covered  by  the  whole  period  of  the  sugar  shortage, 
and  based  on  a  total  household  consumption  of  60,000,000 
pounds  in  Massachusetts,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  assume 
that  upwards  of  $5,000,000  was  saved.  This  saving  was  also 
probably  duplicated  on  the  100,000,000  pounds  which 
passed  through  the  manufacturing  and  restaurant  trades 
during  the  period  of  definite  control. 


(i)    Committee  on   Ice 

In  November,  1917,  a  committee  from  the  Massachusetts 
Ice  Dealers'  Association  inquired  if  they  could  in  any  way 
be  of  assistance  to  the  Food  Administration.  Mr.  Fndicott 
asked  them  to  harvest  an  extra  large  crop  of  ice  during  the 
winter  of  1917  to  1918,  so  that  there  might  be  no  risk  of  a 
shortage  during  the  succeeding  summer,  and  later  appointed 
a  Committee  to  work  with  them,  consisting  of  James  J. 
Phelan,  Chairman,  and  [Matthew  Luce,  Secretary.  Early 
in  1918  a  letter  was  sent  to  all  ice  companies,  except  those 
making  artificial  ice,  instructing  them  as  stated  above. 

At.  the  outset  the  Committee  found  that  owing  to  the 
probable  shortage  of  ammonia  (the  Federal  government 
having  an  option  on  the  entire  ammonia  supply)  the  manu- 
facture of  artificial  ice  for  public  consumption  must  come  to 
an  end.  Since  artificial  ice  had  heretofore  constituted  10 
to  15  per  cent  of  the  ice  consumed  in  the  State,  the  natural 
ice  crop,  which  promised  well,  needed  to  be  increased  above 
normal  by  that  amount. 

457 


It  was  apparent  that  transportation  entered  largely  into 
the  question,  and  the  Committee  held  meetings  with  the 
representatives  of  the  Boston  &  Maine,  New  Haven,  and 
Boston  &  Albany  Railroads,  both  steam  and  electric.  They 
all  gave  assurances  of  full  and  interested  attention  to  the 
matter,  and  kept  their  promise.  The  street  railways  had 
not  heretofore  been  accustomed  to  handle  ice,  but  at  the 
Committee's  suggestion  they  ascertained  the  number  of  ice 
plants  located  on  their  lines,  studied  the  methods  of  distrib- 
uting ice,  and,  so  far  as  they  could,  aided  loyally  in  its 
transportation. 

Considerable  duplication,  with  resulting  increase  in  ex- 
pense, was  found  in  the  handling  and  distribution  of  ice  to 
consumers  throughout  the  State,  especially  in  the  cities. 
This  was  largely  relieved  by  dividing  territory  on  the  basis 
of  volume  of  business  done  for  the  previous  two,  three  or 
more  years.  The  plan,  systematically  worked  out,  released 
many  men  and  horses,  and  to  that  extent  the  cost  of  handling 
was  reduced. 

Much  saving  was  also  effected  by  the  co-operation  given 
by  consumers.  Purchasers  who  could  afford  to  do  so  were 
asked  to  fill  their  ice  box  as  full  as  possible  at  each  delivery, 
and  if  necessary,  to  have  larger  ice  boxes  installed,  with  a 
view  to  reducing  the  number  of  deliveries  of  ice. 

The  best  results  in  refrigeration  can  only  be  obtained  by 
putting  in  a  large  piece  of  ice,  for  the  reason  that  in  build- 
ing all  refrigerators  the  capacity  of  the  food  chambers  is 
calculated  strictly  in  accordance  with  ice  capacity.  If  only 
one-half  of  the  amount  of  ice  intended  by  the  refrigerator 
manufacturers  is  used,  refrigeration  will  be  reduced  to  that 
extent,  and  a  consequent  increase  in  the  waste  or  consump- 
tion of  ice  must  necessarily  follow.  Two  small  pieces,  put 
in  at  different  times,  will  not  do  the  work  of  one  piece  twice 
the  size  put  in  half  as  often. 

Thus,  by  the  more  intelligent  use  of  ice,  the  cost  to  the 
consumer  was  undoubtedly  reduced;    and  these  emergency 


458 


methods  are  likely  hereafter  to  continue  as  a  regular  prac- 
tice in  the  interest  of  thrift  and  economy. 

The  Massachusetts  Ice  Dealers'  Association  informed  the 
Committee  that,  according  to  the  unanimous  opinion  in  the 

trade,  the  increased  cost  of  doing  business  in  Massachusetts 
for  the  year  1918  would  he  more  than  30  per  cent  over  that 
for  1917;  and  that  if  the  increase  in  freight  rates,  granted  to 
all  railroads,  were  applied  to  ice,  the  percentage  of  increase 
would  be  still  greater;  at  the  same  time,  it  was  shown  that 
wages  had  increased  20-35  per  cent,  and  fodder  .50-100  per 
cent.  In  further  illustration  of  the  increased  cost  of  doing 
business,  the  association  tabulated  a  few  of  the  more  im- 
portant expenses  for  1913  and  1918,  as  follows:  — 


1913. 


1918. 


Oats, 
Corn, 

Roofing  felt,   . 
Stable  brooms, 
Horseshoes, 
Spruce  lumber, 
Soft  steel, 
Tire  steel, 
Wagon  scales, 
Horse  blankets, 


$0  37  to  $0  48V2 

$0  98  to  $1  01 

71 

1  94 

37  00 

68  00 

4  50 

11  50 

4  00 

6  75 

26  00 

46  00  to  50  00 

2  10 

5  50 

1  66 

4  15 

1  75 

3  00 

8  00 

15  00 

These  figures  were  taken  from  the  actual  records  of  one  of 
the  largest  ice  companies,  which  had  an  experienced  buyer 
who  purchased  in  such  quantities  as  to  obtain  the  most  favor- 
able prices.  Among  the  smaller  dealers  it  was  stated  that 
the  percentage  of  increase  was  even  greater. 

In  connection  with  the  above  statement  the  association 
recommended  that  they  be  permitted  to  put  into  effect  the 
following  prices:  — 


43!) 


1917. 

1918. 

Yard  prices  on  bridge,          .... 

S3  to  S3  50. 

$4  50. 

Icing  cars  at  railroads,          . 

4  50. 

5. 

Wholesale  prices,  300  to  600  pounds,  at  one 
delivery. 

Family  prices,  delivered  to  householders   — 

0  25  per  100  pounds. 

First  600  pounds  of  any  de- 
livery at  rate  of  35  cents 
per  every  100  pounds; 
balance  at  rate  of  30  cents 
per  100  pounds. 

100  pounds,  one  delivery, 

SO  35  to  $0  40. 

SO  50. 

50  pounds,  one  delivery, 

0  20. 

0  25. 

25  pounds,  one  delivery, 

0  10. 

20  pounds  for  10  cents. 
10  pounds  for  5  cents. 

It  will  be  noted  that  for  the  smaller  quantities  there  was 
no  increase  in  some  cases,  and  in  others  it  was  small.  In 
no  case  was  it  greater  than  25  per  cent.  For  the  larger  quan- 
tities the  increase  was  slightly  in  excess  of  30  per  cent.  In 
other  words,  the  association  in  its  recommendations  en- 
deavored to  carry  out  the  idea  which  the  Committee  had 
carefully  impressed  upon  it,  that  the  chief  burden  of  the 
increase  should  fall  on  the  large  rather  than  on  the  small 
consumers. 

As  a  result,  family  prices  in  Massachusetts  compared  fav- 
orably with  those  put  into  effect  by  the  New  York  Food 
Administrator  in  the  early  part  of  1918.  The  bridge  price 
in  Massachusetts  is  10  cents  per  ton  greater,  while  the  whole- 
sale prices  of  30  cents  per  100  pounds  corresponds  with  the 
New  York  price  of  40  cents  per  100  pounds.  In  making  a 
comparison  of  prices  it  should  be  noticed  that  the  cost  of 
delivery  in  New  York  is  less  than  in  Boston,  because  the 
New  York  season  is  about  forty-five  days  longer  than  in 
Massachusetts.  Also,  taken  as  a  whole,  the  routes  in  New 
York  City  are  more  compact  than  those  in  Boston  and  some 
other  Massachusetts  cities,  so  that  a  larger  percentage  of 
the  wagons,  it  was  claimed,  were  working  to  maximum 
efficiency. 

The  prices  above  given  were  approved  both  by  Mr.  Endi- 


460 


cott  and  Mr.  Hoover.  It  was  distinctly  understood,  however, 
that  in  no  case  and  under  no  circumstances  should  the  profit 
be  any  greater  than  an  average  profit  in  a  normal  market 
during  the  pre-war  years  of  1911,  1912  and  1918. 

In  May,  1918,  the  Boston  Ice  Company,  Independent  Ice 
Company  and  Winter  Hill  Ice  Company,  at  the  request  of 
the  Committee,  arranged  to  carry  into  effect  the  Committee's 
plan  of  furnishing  cheaper  ice  in  the  congested  districts  of 
Boston.  Six  to  twelve  stations  were  established  in  public 
squares,  parks  or  vacant  lots  in  a  number  of  districts,  and 
ice  was  there  sold  during  the  summer  months  on  a  cash  and 
carry  plan  of  25  cents  per  100  pounds,  20  cents  per  80 
pounds,  15  cents  per  60  pounds,  10  cents  per  40  pounds,  and 
5  cents  per  20  pounds.  These  prices  were  below  actual  cost, 
without  considering  shrinkage.  This  enabled  many  people 
to  use  ice  freely  during  the  warm  weather,  and  helped  to  con- 
serve food.  It  was  understood  that  if  the  loss  due  to  oper- 
ating these  stations  at  the  prices  above  given  should  prove 
too  heavy  a  burden,  the  Committee  of  ice  dealers  reserved ' 
the  right  to  ask  for  relief;  but  this  did  not  become  necessary. 
The  ice  dealers  also  patriotically  agreed  to  furnish  from  these 
stations  ice  in  limited  amounts,  without  charge,  wherever  it 
was  required  for  sickroom  purposes  and  upon  order  of  the 
attending  physician,  and  to  carry  out  this  offer  suitable 
blanks  were  provided.  The  stations  also  were  prepared  to 
furnish  free  ice  to  individuals  upon  the  order  of  any  recog- 
nized charitable  institution.  The  mayor  of  Boston  gave  per- 
mission for  the  location  of  the  stations  in  parks  or  public 
squares,  and  assisted  in  every  way,  as  did  the  Police  Com- 
missioner. Mr.  Stephen  A.  O'Meara. 

Volunteers  were  called  in  to  assist  in  taking  charge  of  these 
stations.  The  ice  companies  provided  a  man  to  cut  the  ice, 
and  a  volunteer  took  charge  of  the  station,  with  a  woman  as 
cashier.  At  each  location  a  platform  was  built,  in  the  rear 
of  which  a  team  woidd  back  up,  and  the  ice  when  weighed 
was  distributed  by  the  man  in  charge  of  the  station.  The 
county  food  administrators  were  notified  of  these  cash  and 

461 


carry  ice  stations,  and  much  ice  was  sold  in  other  cities  on 
this  plan. 

Mr.  G.  H.  Voter,  vice-president  of  the  Massachusetts  Ice 
Dealers'  Association,  personally  took  charge  of  all  the 
stations,  and  the  success  of  the  work  was  mainly  due  to  his 
untiring  efforts. 


*&< 


(j)    The  Banana  Episode 

On  September  24,  1917,  a  United  Fruit  Company  steamer 
from  Port  Limon,  Costa  Rica,  docked  at  Long  Wharf  with  a 
cargo  of  35,000  bunches  of  ripe  bananas.  Owing  to  faulty 
refrigeration  these  had  not  come  through  the  voyage  green, 
and  were  in  too  ripe  a  condition  to  go  into  commercial 
channels.  As  they  were  edible  if  used  immediately,  the  city 
department  of  health  refused  to  give  a  permit  for  their  de- 
struction. The  company  was  confronted  with  a  perplexing 
problem.  The  fruit  would  perish  if  not  used  within  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  handling  or  exposure  would  cause  immediate 
decay.  The  fruit  could  not  be  sold,  and  without  organization 
of  consumers  it  was  a  physical  impossibility  even  to  give  it 
away,  although  it  was  suggested  that  vast  quantities  of 
bananas  might  be  fed  to  local  cows  without  permanent 
serious  consequences  to  their  digestion. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  September  25  the  situation  came 
to  the  attention  of  the  Food  Administration.  The  officials 
of  the  company  explained  their  desire  to  dump  the  cargo  into 
the  outer  harbor,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  require  too 
long  to  give  the  fruit  away,  and  that  the  boat  was  needed 
at  once  to  take  on  a  waiting  cargo  for  the  return  trip.  A 
member  of  the  Food  Administration  staff  inspected  the 
bananas  iu  the  hold  of  the  vessel  and  confirmed  the  state- 
ment that  the  fruit  could  not  go  into  trade  channels,  but  was 
fit  for  immediate  use.  The  Food  Administration,  therefore, 
undertook  to  find  an  outlet  for  the  fruit,  and  the  company 
agreed  to  give  it  to  those  who  would  call  for  it. 

Telephone  notice  was  at  once  given  to  various  charitable 
institutions  of  the  city,  eight  carloads  of  the  fruit  were  dis- 

462 


patched  to  Camp  Devens  at  Aver,  and  many  boatloads  sent 
to  the  Charlestown  Navy  Yard,  to  the  United  States  Receiv- 
ing Ship  at  Commonwealth  Pier,  and  to  the  harbor  forts. 
The  traffic  on  Long  Wharf  was  organized  so  that  every  I  cam- 
stand  was  continually  occupied,  and  in  two  days  the  bulk  of 
the  cargo  of  bananas  had  been  removed  from  the  hold  of  the 
vessel.  Such  portions  as  were  too  far  gone  to  be  eaten  were 
loaded  directly  from  the  hold  into  a  scow  and  dumped.  The 
greater  part  of  the  bananas  reached  consumers  in  edible  con- 
dition, and  $75,000  worth  of  foodstuffs  was  saved  from  total 
los,s. 


46:? 


CHAPTER  VIII 

TRANSPORTATION  AND  ADJUSTMENT  DIVISION 

This  Division  of  the  Food  Administration  in  December, 
1917,  consisted  of  Messrs.  George  H.  Lyman,  A.  C.  Ratshesky, 
Charles  H.  Cutting  and  later  Mr.  George  M.  Flint.  At  this 
time,  practically  the  entire  effort  of  the  Committee  was  di- 
rected towards  securing  a  prompt  unloading  of  produce 
cars,  the  Committee  using  as  a  working  basis  the  daily  reports 
received  by  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  of  cars  containing 
perishable  goods.  From  this  list  such  cars  were  picked  out 
as  had  been  on  hand  for  the  longest  time,  and  the  consignee 
then  communicated  with.  The  Food  Administration's  regu- 
lations were  not  sufficiently  clear  to  give  full  moral  support 
to  these  endeavors,  or  to  be  used  as  a  force  to  gain  the  re- 
quired ends,  and  no  cases  as  yet  had  been  submitted  to 
arbitration. 

The  severe  winter  demoralized  the  transportation  service, 
and  the  chief  effort  was  directed  to  tracing  carloads  of  those 
foodstuffs  of  which  the  supply  was  seriously  depleted.  This 
condition  soon  applied  to  a  greatly  increased  list  of  articles, 
so  that  the  tracing  of  carloads  occupied  three-quarters  of  the 
time  spent.  In  consequence,  for  the  daily  reports  of  cars 
containing  perishables  were  substituted  reports  of  cars  of 
foodstuffs  delayed  in  track  seventy-two  hours.  These 
reports  were  at  once  followed  up.  Letters  were  then  written 
to  the  presidents  of  the  three  major  New  England  railroads, 
outlining  the  work  undertaken  and  asking  assistance  through 
their  subordinates.  The  aid  so  requested  continued  from 
that  time  to  be  freely  and  consistently  given. 

In  February,  1918,  Mr.  Lyman  turned  over  his  work  in 
this  Department  to  Mr.  William  L.  Putnam  (see  Appendix, 
page  571),  who,  at  the  request  of  a  committee  of  the  Produce 
Exchange,  inaugurated  a  plan  for  the  arbitration  of  disputes 

464 


and  consignee,  this  being  one  of  the  principal  causes  why 
cars  of  vegetables  were  detained  on  the  track  at  destination. 

A  printed  statement  of  the  rules  of  the  Food  Adminisl  ra- 
tion under  the  Massachusetts  statute  was  also  prepared,  and 
over  a  thousand  copies  posted  in  conspicuous  places  by  the 
railroads  and  the  Produce  Exchange. 

The  plan  adopted  for  arbitration  quickly  assumed  far- 
reaching  proportions,  and  the  cases  multiplied  to  such  a 
degree  that  a  Federal  adjuster  was  appointed  to  handle  all 
cases  for  metropolitan  Boston.  Through  the  courtesy  of  the 
Fruit  and  Produce  Trade  Committee,  the  Committee  was 
able  to  secure  for  this  purpose  the  highly  valued  services  of 
Mr.  A.  W.  Otis.  Similar  cases  were  constantly  arising  in 
other  parts  of  the  State,  and  letters  were  sent  to  the  county 
food  administrators  defining  the  procedure  they  were  to 
follow.  The  Committee  also  assumed  the  duties  of  an  infor- 
mation bureau  for  Food  Administration  regulations  relating 
to  transportation  matters  of  various  kinds. 

An  earlier  effort  resulted  in  securing  a  steamer  for  the 
transportation  of  about  one  hundred  cars  of  seed  potatoes, 
which  were  held  on  track  at  Boston  for  lack  of  storage  space, 
and  stood  in  imminent  danger  of  freezing  while  awaiting 
movement  to  southern  points.  Again,  a  large  number  of 
refrigerator  and  heater  cars,  for  the  movement  of  onions 
from  Connecticut  Valley  points,  were  assembled  at  a  time 
when  intense  cold  threatened  to  freeze  even  the  stock  in 
warehouses. 

Coincident  with  the  unsatisfactory  transportation  con- 
nections during  the  winter  of  1917-18,  permits  were  neces- 
sary to  secure  movement  of  freight,  and  the  Committee 
exerted  itself  in  behalf  of  Massachusetts  shippers  in  obtain- 
ing them.  Also,  in  cases  where  railroad  embargoes  affected 
the  movement  of  perishable  goods,  assistance  was  given 
to  secure  prompt  connection,  by  which  it  wTas  made  possible 
for  highly  perishable  products  to  reach  their  market  without 
serious  loss.  For  example,  when  in  the  spring  of  1017  the 
grain  dealers  of  Massachusetts  were  without  stocks  of  grain 

465 


and  oats,  and  intimations  were  received  that  live  stock  was 
being  slaughtered  for  lack  of  feed,  permits  were  obtained 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Committee,  the  move- 
ment of  the  necessary  grain  brought  about,  and  disaster 
averted. 

Following  the  winter's  shortage  an  enormous  surplus  of 
certain  lines  of  goods  readied  our  markets,  and  our  store- 
houses, filled  with  the  abnormal  freight  of  war  time,  could 
not  take  in  the  large  amounts  daily  arriving.  In  this  situa- 
tion the  Committee  was  able  to  be  of  temporary  assistance, 
until  finally  the  basement  of  Mechanics  Hall  was  secured  by 
one  of  the  large  warehouse  companies  and  the  congestion 
relieved. 

As  an  aftermath  of  this  accumulation  of  excess  stocks,  it 
was  agreed  that  the  Grain  Corporation  should  buy  some  of 
the  accumulated  supplies  of  the  cereal  and  flour  substitutes, 
and  the  Committee  ultimately  solved  the  serious  and  diffi- 
cult problem  of  finding  warehouse  and  docking  space  com- 
bined, by  securing  for  the  Grain  Corporation  Pier  No.  4  of 
the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  at  which 
point  the  largest  of  our  boats  were  enabled  to  handle  their 
cargoes  more  expeditiously. 

The  Committee  also  brought  about  a  prompter  settlement 
of  freight  claims  on  the  part  of  transportation  companies; 
and  successful  efforts  were  made  to  improve  the  service  of 
the  Union  Freight  Railroad,  connecting  the  terminals.  Also 
increased  protection  against  fire  was  secured  for  the  cold- 
storage  warehouses. 

The  volunteer  services  rendered  in  these  general  matters 
by  Mr.  O.  M.  Chandler,  Mr.  Davenport  Brown  and  Mr. 
F.  T.  Lamour,  freight  traffic  manager  of  the  Boston  &  Maine 
Railroad,  were  of  inestimable  help  to  the  Committee. 


466 


CHAPTER  IX 
FUEL   SUPPLY   FOR   FOOD   INDUSTRIES 

During  the  fuel  shortage  of  the  winter  (1917),  the  United 
States  Fuel  Administration  was  instructed  to  permit  fuel  sup- 
ply on  "heatless"  days  only  for  such  industries  as  required 
the  same  for  the  maintenance  of  public  safety.  Among  such 
industries  were  essential  food  producing  or  food  handling 
establishments.  The  approval  of  requests  from  these  indus- 
tries was  delegated  to  the  State  Food  Administration,  and 
Mr.  Paul  J.  Sachs,  chief  of  the  License  Division,  and  Air. 
B.  Preston  Clark  were  appointed  to  pass  upon  all  such  appli- 
cations. In  a  single  day  over  eighty  establishments  were 
given  conference  and  decisions  rendered  in  their  cases.  All 
told,  several  hundred  industries  were  affected. 

This  work  was  largely  confined  to  a  short  period,  but  was 
strenuous  while  it  lasted.  The  question  to  be  determined 
in  every  instance  was  whether  the  food  equity  was  such  as 
to  entitle  the  applicant  to  fuel.  The  cases  where  food  was 
directly  produced  were  easy  of  decision,  but  when  the  rela- 
tion was  somewhat  removed  from  actual  food,  and  concerned 
only  food  containers  or  similar  articles,  careful  judgment  was 
necessary  as  to  whether  the  temporary  cessation  of  produc- 
tion of  subsidiary  materials  would  actually  result  in  the 
decrease  of  food  supply. 


467 


Part  VI 

FUEL   ADMINISTRATION 

New  England  Coal  Committee 

At  the  final  meeting  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
Mr.  Endicott  said  in  part :  — 

Mr.  Storrow,  as  you  all  know,  was  appointed  Fuel  Administrator  for 
New  England.  As  soon  as  he  was  appointed  he  realized  the  seriousness 
of  the  situation  here,  —  one  more  serious,  I  believe,  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  country.  He  went  to  Washington  and  took  the  matter  up 
vigorously  with  the  "powers  that  be," —  so  vigorously  that  I  think  he 
was  decidedly  unpopular;  but  that  apparently  did  not  discourage  him, 
because  he  spent  most  of  his  time  between  here  and  Washington,  or  in 
Washington  for  a  long  time,  until  finally  it  dawned  upon  the  people  there 
that  what  he  had  been  telling  them  was  absolutely  true,  with  the  result 
that  to-day  they  hold  up  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration  as  a 
model  to  the  entire  country.  I  know  that  he  has  made  himself  at  times 
personally  responsible  for  $10,000,000  worth  of  coal;  I  know  that  he  has 
been  working  here  night  and  day;  I  know  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  him 
some  of  us  would  have  been  cold  last  winter  in  our  homes;  and  I  know 
that  in  all  probability  but  for  Mr.  Storrow's  organization  the  thousands  of 
factories  in  New  England  would  have  had  to  close.  He  has  such  an  organ- 
ization that  he  knows  where  every  barge  is,  every  pound  of  coal  that  is 
being  shipped,  and  nearly  every  pound  that  is  wanted.  It  is  my  judg- 
ment that  there  are  more  thanks  due  to  Mr.  Storrow  throughout  New 
England  than  to  any  other  single  man  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

Within  a  few  weeks  after  the  appointment  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Safety  it  was  perceived  that  the  fuel  sit- 
uation was  to  be  one  of  New  England's  most  serious  war 
problems,  and  it  therefore  began  to  receive  the  attention  of 
the  Committee.  On  account  of  the  technical  nature  of  the 
work  it  seemed  advisable  to  organize  a  separate  committee 
which  would  concentrate  all  its  efforts  on  improving  fuel 
conditions  in  the  State,  but  which  would  at  the  same  time 

468 


be  closely  affiliated  with  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 
Accordingly,  early  in  May,  1917.  Governor  McCall  appointed 
the  Massachusetts  Coal  Committee,  and  made  Mr.  Storrow 
chairman,  who  continued  to  serve  also  as  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  but  from  this  time  on  directed 
the  larger  part  of  his  effort  to  the  fuel  work.  On  May  28, 
1917,  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Xew  England  Coal 
Committee  at  a  joint  meeting  of  the  coal  committees  which 
had  been  appointed  in  each  of  the  New  England  Slates  at 
the  suggestion  of  Governor  McCall.  On  October  9,  1917, 
tjie  President,  upon  the  recommendation  of  Dr.  Harry  A. 
Garfield,  National  Fuel  Administrator,  appointed  Mr.  Stor- 
row Federal  Fuel  Administrator  for  New  England,  and  also 
Federal  Fuel  Administrator  for  Massachusetts.  As  the 
Commonwealth  Defence  Act,  which  had  been  passed  by  the 
Legislature  in  accordance  with  the  recommendations  of  the 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  contained  important  pro- 
visions relating  to  fuel,  the  Governor  intrusted  Mr.  Storrow 
with  the  authority  relating  to  fuel  created  under  this  statute. 
It  became  so  clearly  evident,  however,  that  the  fuel 
problem  was  national  in  its  scope,  and  could  only  be  handled 
adequately  by  the  national  government,  that  Mr.  Storrow's 
office,  after  his  appointment  by  Dr.  Garfield,  was  conducted 
wholly  under  the  authority  of  the  Federal  Fuel  Adminis- 
tration, and  no  occasion  arose  calling  for  action  under  the 
Defence  Act  of  Massachusetts. 


Causes  of  Coal  Shortage  in  New  England 

It  will  be  of  assistance  in  understanding  the  work  of  the 
New  England  Fuel  Administration  to  briefly  review  the 
underlying  causes  of  the  coal  shortage  in  New  England 
during  the  winter  of  1917-18. 

The  entrance  of  this  country  into  the  war  made  necessary 
an  immediate  speeding  up  of  our  factories  in  order  to  pro- 
duce, on  the  vast  scale  required,  supplies  and  equipment  for 
our  own  troops  and  for  those  of  our  Allies. 

469 


As  the  government's  war  program  enlarged,  it  became 
evident  that  the  huge  industrial  task  laid  upon  New  Eng- 
land's factories  and  workshops  would  require  a  much  larger 
consumption  of  coal  than  ever  before  in  its  history.  The 
tremendously  overburdened  condition  of  the  railways,  as  the 
rapidly  rising  volume  of  raw  materials  and  finished  muni- 
tions began  to  flow  into  and  to  be  shipped  from  the  indus- 
trial plants,  quickly  rendered  the  successful  mining  and  trans- 
portation of  even  the  normal  volume  of  coal  increasingly 
difficult,  if  not  almost  impossible.  For  this  greatly  added 
burden  the  preceding  years  of  railroad  starvation  proved  a 
poor  preparation.  The  railroads,  with  their  tremendous 
new  obligations,  were  short  of  cars,  locomotives,  tracks  and 
terminals.  The  shortage  grew  rapidly  worse,  and  soon  the 
scarcity  of  men  added  still  further  to  the  difficulty. 

Nearly  all  sections  of  the  country  had  their  transporta- 
tion problems,  but  as  the  eastern  seaboard  was  approached, 
especially  to  the  east  of  a  line  drawn  north  and  south  through 
Pittsburg,  and  embracing  the  States  of  Maryland,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Delaware,  New  Jersey,  New  York  and  New  England, 
a  zone  of  transportation  congestion  was  encountered  which 
far  transcended  anything  else  of  the  kind  in  the  country. 

It  is  also  to  be  noted  that  the  fueling  of  New  England 
under  these  conditions  presented  a  much  stiffer  problem 
than  in  the  other  States  within  this  congested  zone.  Most 
of  the  industrial  plants  in  the  Central  Atlantic  States  are 
within  twenty-four  to  forty-eight  hours  of  a  coal  mine. 
New  York  City  itself,  which  is  on  the  extreme  eastern  edge 
of  the  Middle  Atlantic  States,  can  be  reached  by  a  train  of 
coal  cars  in  less  than  three  days.  In  New  England  it  is 
every  winter's  experience  that  coal  in  transit  averages  from 
three  to  five  weeks,  according  to  weather  conditions.  New 
York  State  draws  practically  the  whole  of  its  fuel  supply 
from  the  adjoining  State  of  Pennsylvania.  New  England, 
on  the  other  hand,  draws  a  large  part  of  its  coal  from  the 
mountains  of  West  Virginia,  where  the  initial  stage  of  the 
journey,  from  the  mountains  to  the  southern  loading  port 

470 


alone,  is  much  greater  than  the  average  distance  for  all  coal 
needed  to  fuel  such  States  as  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Dela- 
ware and  New  Jersey. 

Moreover,  this  water  transit  from  the  southern  ports  to 
New  England  encountered  many  super-difficulties  as  the 
war  progressed,  entirely  unknown  to  the  Middle  Atlantic 
States.  The  government  did  not  go  to  the  sources  of  coal 
supply  of  the  Middle  Western  States  for  any  appreciable 
amount  of  coal  on  its  own  account,  but  it  went  into  New 
England's  sources  of  supply,  and  especially  the  Pocahontas 
and  New  River  districts  of  West  Virginia,  for  many  millions 
of  tons  in  direct  competition  with  New  England's  needs. 
Still  further,  the  coal-loading  piers  of  the  southern  ports, 
which  could  not  suddenly  be  increased,  and  which  in  fact 
were  not  increased  during  the  war,  were  utilized  more  and 
more  by  the  government.  New  England  colliers  were  obliged 
to  lie  waiting  at  anchor  in  the  stream  at  Hampton  Roads, 
while  a  continuous  succession  of  government  war  vessels 
or  transports  moved  into  the  pier  ahead  of  them.  Finally, 
the  government  began  taking  for  its  trans-Atlantic  needs 
one  New  England  collier  after  another,  until  six  months 
before  the  war  ended  not  a  single  one  was  left  on  our  shores. 
Less  important,  but  accentuating  the  difficulty,  was  the 
fact  that  the  government  was  obliged  to  take  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  ocean-going  tugs  used  in  towing  coal  to  New 
England. 

It  is  not  worth  while  to  enumerate  all  the  peculiar  dis- 
advantages under  which  New  England  struggled;  but  when 
the  demand  for  coal  is  intense  and  railroad  equipment  is 
scarce,  a  coal  mine  will  naturally  sell  its  coal  as  near  home 
as  possible.  If  it  can  send  coal  to  a  point  in  Pennsylvania, 
New  York,  Delaware  or  New  Jersey  and  get  the  car  back 
to  fill  again  in  a  week,  it  is  much  more  attractive  business 
for  the  mine  than  sending  it  to  New  England,  where  it  is 
certain  not  to  be  back  for  at  least  a  month,  and  probably, 
under  the  average  winter  conditions,  not  for  at  least  six 
weeks.    In  the  past,  New  England  overcame  this  advantage 

471 


in  difficult  times  by  simply  paying  more  for  the  coal,  thus 
securing  its  needs;  but  just  as  soon  as  the  Coal  Production 
Committee  organized  by  the  Council  of  National  Defense, 
of  which  Francis  S.  Peabody  was  chairman,  set  a  flat  price 
of  $3  per  ton  for  soft  coal,  New  England  began  to  suffer 
acutely  from  this  cause.  Canada  was  not  subject  to  the 
Peabody  committee,  and  felt  free  to  outbid  New  England, 
which  it  did  day  by  day,  while  the  coal  naturally  flowed  to 
the  nearer  destinations  in  preference  to  New  England  at 
the  same  price. 

Thus  for  many  months  the  interference  of  the  national 
government  injured  rather  than  helped  New  England,  and 
it  was  not  until  the  spring  of  1918,  when  the  zoning  and  dis- 
tribution system  of  the  National  Fuel  Administration  was 
perfected  and  became  really  operative,  that  the  difficulties 
of  New  England,  at  first  enchanced  by  the  government, 
were  removed  and  counteracted,  and  the  coal  distributed  ac- 
cording to  the  law  of  necessity  rather  than  the  rule  of 
distance. 

Organization  of  New  England  Coal  Committee 

About  the  1st  of  May,  1917,  the  Council  of  National 
Defense,  becoming  aware  of  the  close  relation  of  adequate 
coal  production  to  the  Nation's  war  plans,  appointed  a 
Sub-Committee  on  Coal  Production,  of  which  Francis  S. 
Peabody  of  Chicago  was  made  chairman.  Mr.  Storrow 
was  appointed  a  member  of  this  committee  to  represent 
New  England. 

Immediately  following  the  organization  of  the  Committee 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  Mr.  Storrow,  at  a  con- 
ference of  all  the  Governors  of  the  New  England  States, 
called  by  Governor  McCall,  presented  the  dangers  of  the 
New  England  fuel  outlook  and  the  necessity  for  co-operative 
action  by  the  New  England  States,  and  at  his  suggestion 
the  Governor  appointed  the  Massachusetts  Coal  Committee, 
which  was  followed  by  the  appointment  of  coal  committees 
by  the  Governors  of  the  other  New  England  States;  and  on 

472 


May  28  the  New  England  Coal  Committee  was  organized, 
composed  of  the  several  State  committees,  and  executive 
offices  were  established  at  the  State  House,  Boston. 

It  was  agreed  from  the  outset  thai  the  New  England  fuel 
problem  should  be  treated  as  one  affair,  and  thai  the  rapidly 
rising  war  impediments,  threatening  alike  all  the  New  Eng- 
land States,  should  be  dealt  with  by  one  common  manage- 
ment for  the  benefit  of  all  the  New  England  Stales.  If  was 
clearly  seen  that  to  try  to  chop  the  fueling  of  New  England 
into  six  separate  sections  would  lead  to  almost  inextricable 
confusion  and  cross  purposes,  whether  dealing  with  the 
sources  of  supply  at  the  mines,  railways  outside  of  New 
England,  home  railways,  shipping  interests,  barge  operat- 
ing interests,  or  with  the  numerous  branches  and  services 
of  the  Federal  government  whose  interest  and  help  it  was 
necessary  to  secure. 

When  the  Federal  government  finally  created  the  Fuel 
Administration  to  handle  fuel,  the  precedent  had  already 
been  made  of  treating  New  England  as  a  unit,  and  the  habit 
and  method  of  co-operation  by  the  New  England  States  in 
dealing  with  all  questions  relating  to  coal  had  become 
strongly  established. 

One  of  the  most  important  consequences  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  New  England  Coal  Committee  was  that  it 
resulted  in  an  early  beginning  being  made  in  the  education 
of  the  various  governmental  agencies  in  Washington  as  to 
the  dangerous  condition  which-  threatened  New  England. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Federal  Fuel  Admin- 
istration was  not  organized  until  October,  1917,  so  that 
during  these  spring  and  summer  months  there  was  no  gov- 
ernmental agency  which  had  any  authority  or  responsibility 
regarding  coal.  The  career  of  the  Peabody  committee  was 
cut  short  very  early  by  the  public  attack  of  one  member  of 
the  Cabinet  upon  another  member  for  approving  the  vol- 
untary $3  maximum  price,  and  the  committee  from  that 
time  ceased  to  be  a  factor  in  the  situation. 

Inasmuch  as  Newr  England's  coal  supply  was  to  a  great 

473 


extent  dependent  upon  the  transportation  conditions,  both 
by  the  railroads  and  by  water,  the  possibility  of  relief  for 
New  England,  pending  the  appointment  of  any  govern- 
mental bodv  with  authority  to  direct  the  distribution  of 
coal,  lay  largely  in  the  hands  of  the  Shipping  Board  and  the 
Railroad  War  Board. 

A  brief  description  of  transportation  conditions,  as  they 
affected  New  England's  coal  supply  during  the  summer  of 
1917,  will  perhaps  give  a  better  understanding  of  the  neces- 
sity for  the  almost  constant  presence  in  Washington  of  Mr. 
Storrow  as  chairman  of  the  New  England  Coal  Committee 
during  this  period. 

The  railroad  situation  was  very  bad  on  the  New  England 
lines,  where  the  embargoes  were  continuous  during  the 
summer,  as  also  for  much  of  the  time  on  the  New  Haven 
Road.  There  was  also  great  congestion  on  the  railroads 
all  through  the  eastern  territory,  and  it  was  especially 
acute  on  the  coal  carriers.  The  Pennsylvania,  Baltimore  & 
Ohio,  Norfolk  &  Western,  and  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio,  had 
thousands  of  loaded  coal  cars  standing  on  the  rails  for  weeks 
at  a  time  which  they  were  unable  to  move.  At  the  great 
railroad  piers  at  Hampton  Roads,  over  which  a  large  part 
of  New  England's  coal  supply  must,  pass,  the  conditions 
were  also  very  adverse.  There  was  no  co-ordination  in  the 
work  of  the  three  railroads  —  the  Norfolk  &  Western,  Ches- 
apeake &  Ohio,  and  the  Virginian  —  which  bring  coal  down 
from  the  West  Virginia  fields.  At  times  there  would  be 
great  congestion  at  one  of  the  piers,  while  the  other  pier 
had  no  coal  and  was  scarcely  operating. 

The  coaling  of  naval  vessels  and  transports  also  kept 
New  England's  coal  vessels  away  from  the  loading  piers 
for  days  at  a  time.  No  steps  were  being  taken  for  bunkering 
in  the  stream  troop  and  munition  transports,  which  would 
have  greatly  relieved  the  situation.  A  "transport  would  gen- 
erally require  longer  to  take  on  a  few  hundred  tons  than  a 
specially  built  New  England  collier  to  receive  as  many 
thousand. 

474 


A  large  part  of  Mr.  Storrow's  time  in  Washington;  during 
the  summer  and  fall,  was  spent  before  the  Railroad  War 
Board  and  the  Priorities  Committee  of  the  Council  of 
National  Defense.  Strong  efforts  were  made  to  obtain  gen- 
eral priority  orders  for  the  shipment  of  coal  to  New  England, 
for  additional  motive  power  for  the  New  England  railroads, 
and  for  the  necessary  steel  to  complete  the  New  London 
bridge  on  the  New  Haven  Road.  But  in  those  days  nearly 
all  the  governmental  policies  were  in  the  making,  and 
prompt  effective  action  was  unobtainable.  In  the  last  few 
days  of  the  Railroad  War  Board  a  plan  was  put  into  effeel 
separating  the  eastern  territory  into  various  operating  dis- 
tricts. The  headquarters  of  the  eastern  district  was  lo- 
cated in  Pittsburg.  The  day  following  the  announcement 
of  this  new  arrangement  Mr.  Storrow  was  in  Pittsburg  and 
appeared  before  this  new  committee,  appealing  again  for 
decisive  action  from  the  railroad  authorities  to  relieve  tin' 
New  England  situation.  Relief  was  not  granted,  and  in  a  few 
more  days  the  committee  went  out  of  existence.  In  the 
meantime  the  situation  of  the  railroads  was  constantly  glow- 
ing worse  instead  of  showing  improvement. 

As  the  government  was  hard  pressed  for  vessels  for  over- 
seas work,  the  navy  and  the  Shipping  Board  were  almost 
every  day  announcing  their  intention  of  taking  more  of 
New  England's  colliers,  and  more  of  the  tugs  used  to  tow 
our  coal  barges.  This  necessitated  weekly  and  almost 
daily  representation  before  the  war,  Navy  and  other  gov- 
ernment departments,  and  before  the  Shipping  Board,  of 
the  critical  shortage  of  New  England's  coal-carrying  fleet. 
and  the  effect  upon  the  war  program  in  New  England  if 
further  takings  were  made. 

During  the  summer  a  number  of  conferences  were  held 
in  Washington  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  New 
England  Coal  Committee  with  the  senators  from  the  New 
England  States,  and  the  latter  gave  the  heartiest  co-opera- 
tion at  all  times  to  the  committee's  efforts  to  obtain  relief 
in  Washington.     In  August  the  Executive  Committee,  after 

475 


having  exhausted  every  resource  in  Washington,  sought  and 
obtained  an  interview  with  the  President,  and,  with  the 
aid  of  a  large  committee  of  representative  men  coming  from 
every  State  in  New  England,  placed  before  him  personally 
the  critical  situation,  and  the  necessity  for  decisive  action 
by  the  government  if  New  England's  production  of  war 
materials  was  not  to  be  crippled. 

The  New  England  Coal  Committee  gave  its  constant  atten- 
tion during  the  summer  of  1917  to  the  anthracite  situation. 
The  grave  danger  of  an  anthracite  shortage  in  New  Eng- 
land became  early  apparent,  and  an  effort  was  made  with 
the  anthracite  operators  to  secure  increased  shipments. 
The  congestion  on  the  railroads  presented  serious  difficul- 
ties in  the  way  of  an  increased  movement.  It  was  therefore 
suggested  by  the  New  England  Committee  that  the  anthra- 
cite operators  should  run  solid  trains  of  anthracite  to  various 
natural  distributing  points  in  New  England,  the  trains  not 
to  be  broken  up  until  reaching  their  destination.  In  this 
way  anthracite  might  be  brought  into  New  England  in 
spite  of  embargoes  against  the  New  England  railroads. 
This  movement  was  started  about  the  1st  of  June,  and  was 
pushed  with  energy  throughout  the  summer  and  fall.  As 
a  result,  New  England  secured  many  additional  thousands 
of  tons  of  anthracite. 

Within  a  few  weeks  after  its  organization,  the  committee 
began  a  campaign  to  secure  prompt  unloading  of  coal- 
carrying  equipment  by  consignees.  It  obtained  from  each 
of  the  New  England  railroads,  every  week,  the  name  of 
each  consignee  who  had  held  a  car  of  coal  beyond  the  free 
time.  The  attention  of  each  delinquent  was  called  imme- 
diately to  his  delay,  and  he  was  asked  to  unload  and  release 
the  car  at  once.  A  careful  card  catalogue  was  kept,  and  a 
representative  of  the  committee  visited  every  consignee 
whose  name  recurred  on  the  lists. 

Early  in  the  work  of  the  Committee  it  was  found  that  the 
carrying  capacity  of  our  coal  barges  was  not  being  utilized 
with  the  greatest  efficiency,  on  account  of  the  method  of 

476 


individual  operation  by  cadi  owner.  A  particular  ocean- 
going tug  would  make  a  trip  pulling  less  than  its  capacity 
of  coal  barges,  since  the  company  owning  the  tug  on  that 
day  might  have  only  a  single  barge  of  its  own  going  to  the 
port  of  destination;  or  a  tug  might  lie  in  port  waiting  for 
its  owner's  barge  to  take  its  turn  at  the  pier,  to  be  loaded 
or  unloaded. 

To  remedy  this  condition  a  plan  for  pooling  all  the  ocean- 
going tugs  was  worked  out  by  the  committee,  and  a  vol- 
untary association  of  the  owners  of  all  ocean-going  barges 
and  tugs,  known  as  the  New  England  Coal  Barge  and 
Towers'  Association,  was  formed  with  the  help  of  the  Ship- 
ping Board. 

Mr.  Storrow  was  made  chairman  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  this  association,  and  rules  were  framed  and  ra It- 
established  for  towing  each  other's  barges,  to  the  end  that 
every  ocean-going  tug  should  be  kept  moving  all  the  time 
without  waits  at  either  end  for  empty  or  loaded  barg 
and  always  to  the  full  capacity  of  the  tug.  A  central  office 
was  opened  at  148  State  Street,  Boston,  and  the  movement 
of  all  the  ocean-going  tugs  and  barges  was  put  in  charge  of 
Capt.  Arthur  L.  Crowley,  who,  by  the  aid  of  complete, 
accurate  daily  and  hourly  information,  and  a  dispatching 
board  showing  at  a  glance  the  location  every  hour  of  every 
tug  and  barge  scattered  along  the  coast  from  Hampton 
Roads  to  Eastport,  controlled  and  dispatched  these  tugs  and 
barges  so  as  to  greatly  increase  their  efficiency  and  carrying 
capacity. 

A  similar  association  of  the  owners  of  the  smaller  tugs 
and  smaller  box  barges  plying  along  the  Sound,  especially 
to  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  ports,  known  as  the  Long 
Island  Sound  Barge  Operators'  Association,  was  formed  a 
little  later,  with  headquarters  at  1  Broadway,  New  York. 
This  substantially  improved  the  dispatching  and  efficiency 
of  the  smaller  tugs  and  barges,  and  a  member  of  Mr.  Stor- 
row's  staff  wTent  to  New  York  and  became  the  executive 
secretarv  of  the  association. 

477 


With  the  help  of  the  Shipping  Board  the  necessary  barges 
and  bunkering  machinery  were  obtained  and  towed  to 
Hampton  Roads,  so  that  slow-loading  merchant  vessels 
requiring  only  a  few  tons  of  coal  could  be  bunkered  in  the 
stream,  instead  of  adding  to  the  congestion  at  the  piers. 

During  the  summer  there  grew  up  a  general  expectation 
throughout  the  country  that  the  government  would  reduce 
the  price  of  coal,  which,  in  fact,  it  did,  together  with  the 
price  of  many  other  commodities;  but  the  New  England 
Coal  Committee  plainly  warned  New  England  consumers 
that  the  situation  was  too  critical  to  make  it  safe  for  them 
to  wait  in  order  to  get  their  coal  at  a  cheaper  price.  On 
July  24  a  printed  circular  (see  Appendix,  page  582)  warning 
New  England  consumers  of  the  fuel  danger,  was  sent  to  all 
manufacturers  and  public  authorities  throughout  New  Eng- 
land, and  given  wide  publicity  in  the  daily  press.  Under 
the  heading  "Fill  the  Bins  Now"  this  circular  said:  — 

We  are  not  now  discussing  the  question  of  price,  though  we  fully  ap- 
preciate the  oppressive  burden  which  has  been  borne  by  New  England  in 
this  respect  during  the  last  twelve  months.  We  are  pointing  out  that  if 
New  England  is  to  get  through  next  winter  with  the  coal  it  must  have, 
and  thus  avoid  hardships  much  greater  than  even  the  exorbitant  prices 
of  last  winter,  our  people  must  take  coal  and  keep  taking  coal  every  day 
to  the  limit  of  the  New  England  carrying  capacity. 

This  duty  to  keep  our  carrying  capacity  working  to  the  full  limit  dur- 
ing the  next  ninety  days  falls  especially  upon  our  larger  corporate  units, 
which  have  the  financial  resources  and  the  storage  capacity  required  to 
accumulate  now  a  large  proportion  of  their  next  winter's  supply.  The 
obligation,  however,  rests  with  equal  force  upon  the  individual,  whether 
householder  or  manufacturer,  who  has  the  financial  resources  and  storage 
capacity  to  take  in  his  next  winter's  coal  at  the  present  time.  In  our 
judgment  the  householder  of  means  should  now  make  sure  that  his  bins 
are  full,  so  that  his  competition  with  the  poor  man  during  next  winter's 
crisis  shall  be  at  the  minimum. 

Organization  of  the  New    England    Fuel    Administration 

During  the  summer  Congress  began  debating  the  fuel  situ- 
ation as  a  sort  of  tag  end  to  the  Lever  Act,  a  very  compre- 
hensive measure  which  had  been  introduced  to  deal  with  the 

478 


food  situation.  Unfortunately s  the  references  in  this  acl 
to  fuel  were  added  rather  as  an  afterthought,  and  had  not 
been  as  carefully  worked  out  as  the  provisions  covering  the 
Food  Administration. 

The  Lever  Act  was  passed  Augusl  10,  1017.  The  first 
action  taken  by  the  President  under  the  fuel  section  of  the 
law  was  on  August  L21,  when  he  issued  an  executive  order 
fixing  the  price  of  bituminous  coal  at  the  mine  at  $2  a  ml 
ton,  which  was  $1  lower  than  the  voluntary  maximum  price 
of  $3  which  the  Peabody  committee  had  secured  by  the  vol- 
untary action  of  the  operators,  and  endeavored  to  make 
effective.  This  was  followed  on  August  23  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  Dr.  Harry  A.  Garfield,  president  of  Williams  Col- 
lege, as  Federal  Fuel  Administrator. 

On  October  3  Dr.  Garfield,  as  has  already  been  stated, 
appointed  Mr.  Storrow,  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Public  Safety,  Federal  Fuel  Administrator  for  New  Eng- 
land, and  also  Federal  Fuel  Administrator  for  Massachu- 
setts. At  the  same  time  he  appointed  a  fuel  administrator 
for  each  of  the  other  New  England  States  as  follows: - 


■.-.■ 


Maine, James  C.  Hamlen. 

New  Hampshire, Charles  M.  Floyd. 

Vermont, H.  J.  M.  Joik-. 

Connecticut, Thomas  W.  Russell. 

Rhode  Island, George  II.  Holmes. 

Mr.  Floyd  later  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Hovey  F.  Slayton.  Mr.  Holmes  was 
also  compelled  to  resign  for  personal  reasons  in  the  spring 
of  1918,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Malcolm  G.  Chace.  All 
of  these  men  served  their  States  with  notable  fidelity  and 
ability. 

The  habits  of  co-operation  between  the  New  England 
States,  which  had  been  firmly  established  as  the  result  of 
the  work  of  the  New  England  Coal  Committee,  bore  splen- 
did fruit  in  the  work  of  the  New  England'  Fuel  Administra- 
tion.    It  would  not  have  been  difficult  to  create  differences 

47!) 


of  opinion  as  to  whether  a  car  of  coal  appearing  at  Mechan- 
icville  should  move  over  the  Boston  &  Maine  system  to  a 
destination  in  Massachusetts,  Vermont,  New  Hampshire  or 
Maine;  or  whether  a  barge  at  Staten  Island  pier  should 
move  to  a  port  in  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  Massachu- 
setts, New  Hampshire  or  Maine;  or  whether  a  collier  leav- 
ing Hampton  Roads  should  proceed  to  Providence,  Boston, 
Portsmouth  or  Portland.  But  the  spirit  of  mutual  co-oper- 
ation and  confidence  had  been  firmly  established,  and  during 
the  dangerous  and  trying  days  of  the  winter  of  1917-18  the 
broad  spirit  of  mutual  helpfulness  displayed  by  the  State 
Administrators  went  far  toward  pulling  New  England 
through  the  winter  without  a  domestic  and  industrial 
catastrophe. 

The  work  of  local  organization  in  Massachusetts  and  in 
the  other  New  England  States  was  pushed  energetically. 
Dr.  Garfield  announced,  the  last  week  in  October,  that 
retail  prices  for  coal  should  be  fixed  in  every  community, 
and  directed  the  State  Fuel  Administrators  of  New  Eng- 
land to  undertake  the  task,  subject  to  his  revision. 

A  committee  of  three  was  established  in  every  city  and 
town  in  Massachusetts  in  which  there  was  a  coal  dealer, 
the  total  number  being  312  committees.  These  committees 
were  appointed  in  almost  every  instance  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  local  Committee  on  Public  Safety.  No  coal  dealer 
or  any  one  with  an  interest  in  the  coal  industry,  was  eligible 
for  appointment.  These  local  committees  everywhere  estab- 
lished maximum  retail  prices,  which  were  based  upon  a  care- 
ful study  of  all  the  factors  entering  into  the  retail  price, 
including  the  cost  at  the  mines,  the  cost  of  transportation 
by  rail  and  by  water,  and  the  cost  of  doing  business,  with 
the  various  items  entering  into  the  same,  such  as  discharg- 
ing, wastage,  delivery,  overhead  and  net  profit.  Retail 
prices  for  its  locality  were  recommended  by  each  commit- 
tee, and  after  careful  scrutiny  and  analysis  were  finally 
approved  by  the  State  Fuel  Administrator,  subject  to  the 
approval  of  the  Federal  Fuel  Administrator  in  Washington. 

480 


This  method  proved  very  effective.  If  the  price  had  been 
left  to  the  effect  of  supply  and  demand,  in  the  critical 
shortage  coal  would  undoubtedly  have  sold  as  high  as  $L20 
a  ton,  and  the  poor,  and  those  even  in  moderate  circum- 
stances, would  have  been  unable  to  secure  a  supply.  The 
fixing  of  prices  undoubtedly  saved  many  millions  of  dollars 
to  the  people  of  New  England,  while  at  the  same  time  it 
allowed  a  reasonable  profit  to  the  dealer.  It  is  gratifying  to 
state  that  there  were  very  few  instances  where  attempts 
were  made  to  evade  the  price  restrictions. 
,,  At  the  beginning  it  was  believed  that  once  the  local  re- 
tail prices  had  been  established  after  careful  investigation, 
the  activity  of  the  local  committees  woidd  be  more  or  less 
normal;  but  as  events  developed,  and  the  necessity  for 
organized  action  in  nearly  every  community  in  the  State 
became  necessary  on  account  of  the  critical  shortage,  the 
work  of  the  fuel  committees  became  more  burdensome, 
more  detailed,  and  more  fraught  with  responsibility  than 
the  work  of  most  other  local  war  agencies. 

In  States  outside  of  New  England  the  work  of  the  State 
Fuel  Administrator  was  chiefly  delegated  to  a  county  com- 
mittee or  sub-administrator;  but  the  bedrock  foundation  on 
which  the  whole  organization  of  the  New  England  Fuel 
Administration  was  built,  and  to  which  it  chieflv  owed  the 

* 

very  great  efficiency  it  possessed,  was  the  local  fuel  com- 
mittee established  in  each  city  and  town.  Probably  few 
communities  realized  the  anxious  and  laborious  tasks  per- 
formed in  their  behalf  by  their  fuel  committee,  but  un- 
questionably the  towns  and  cities  of  Massachusetts  were 
face  to  face  with  one  of  the  most  critical  and  menacing 
situations  ever  encountered  in  the  history  of  New  England, 
and  the  local  fuel  committees  were  the  chief  instruments  in 
providing  for  their  protection.  A  list  of  the  chairmen  of 
these  committees  in  Massachusetts  is  given  in  the  Appendix, 
page  592. 


481 


Bituminous  Shortage  during  Winter  1917-18 

Receipts  of  bituminous  coal  in  New  England  in  1917  were 
actually  less  than  in  the  previous  year,  although  the  speed- 
ing up  of  New  England's  factories,  to  comply  with  the  gov- 
ernment's ever-expanding  war  program,  brought  about  a 
great  increase  in  coal  consumption,  as  has  already  been 
mentioned.  The  result  was  that  New  England  went  into 
the  winter  practically  without  any  reserve  coal  supply, 
whereas  it  has  always  been  customary  for  the  New  England 
public  utility  and  manufacturing  plants  to  start  the  winter 
with  a  supply  of  coal  in  storage  sufficient  to  carry  them  for 
three  or  four  months,  because  experience  had  shown  how  the 
winter  weather  ties  up  the  carrying  capacity  of  our  rail- 
roads, colliers  and  barges. 

By  the  first  week  in  December,  1917,  the  seriousness  of 
the  fuel  shortage  in  New  England,  which  Mr.  Storrow  had 
presented  with  great  ability  and  persistence  before  all  the 
government  agencies  which  in  any  way  had  authority  to 
furnish  relief,  including  the  President,  every  day  became  a 
bitter  reality.  The  winter  of  1917-18  was  of  unusual  sever- 
ity. All  through  the  eastern  section  of  the  United  States 
there  was  terrific  cold;  Boston  Harbor  was  frozen  solid; 
at  times  even  the  southern  coal  piers  at  Hampton  Roads 
were  completely  frozen  up.  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore 
harbors  were  frozen  in,  but  as  the  result  of  Mr.  Storrow's 
urgent  pleading  they  were  broken  out  by  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment with  battleships  in  order  to  release  coal-bearing 
steamers  for  New  England  ports.  Stat en  Island  Creek, 
where  a  good  deal  of  our  anthracite  is  loaded  on  barges,  as 
well  as  Long  Island  Sound,  were  frozen,  and  for  a  period  of 
several  weeks  at  a  time  no  tug  or  barge  was  able  to  move. 
The  coal  was  frozen  in  the  cars  at  the  piers  and  could  not 
be  dumped,  and  on  railroads  and  piers  the  intense  cold  on 
some  days  stopped  the  movement  of  freight,  as  the  crews 
were  unable  to  work.  The  vital  truth  of  the  fact  which  Mr. 
Storrow  had  been  endeavoring  to  present  to  the  minds  of 
the   authorities   in   Washington,   most  of   whom   were   un- 

482 


familiar  with  New  England  conditions, --that  New  Eng- 
land's ability  to  receive  coal  in  winter  was  greatly  limited 
by  weather  conditions,  therefore  making  it  necessary  to 
push  the  maximum  amount  of  coal  possible  during  good 
weather  conditions  in  the  summer  and  fall  months,  —  was 
borne  out  to  the  letter. 

The  New  England  Fuel  Administrator  during  the  critical 
days  of  December  and  January  was  spending  practically  all 
of  his  time  in  Washington  in  a  continuous  campaign  before 
the  government  bureaus  and  departments,  seeking  to  obtain 
action  that  would  bring  relief.  Directly  William  G.  McAdoo 
was  appointed  Director-General  of  Railroads,  Mr.  Storrow 
sought  his  interest  and  help,  and  an  appointment  was 
granted  him  on  the  succeeding  Sunday  afternoon  to  explain 
New  England's  plight.  Mr.  McAdoo  decided  at  once  that 
immediate  and  drastic  action  was  required,  and  after  a 
conference  with  Dr.  Garfield  issued  an  order  for  the  ship- 
ment of  500  cars  of  coal  a  day  to  New  England,  to  be  dis- 
tributed by  order  of  the  New  England  Fuel  Administrator, 
in  order  to  relieve  the  situation.  This  prompt  action  on  the 
Director-General's  part  was  the  first  step  taken  for  the  relief 
of  New  England  by  any  government  agency. 

The  order  provided  that  cars  should  be  placed  by  the 
railroads  at  the  mines  designated  every  day  for  this  move- 
ment, which  it  was  contemplated  should  be  in  addition  to 
the  normal  movement  to  New  England  of  coal  under  con- 
tract. For  the  purpose  of  cutting  red  tape  and  securing 
immediate  action,  Mr.  Storrow  pledged  his  personal  credit 
for  the  coal  so  shipped.  The  order  provoked  a  great  deal 
of  opposition  in  other  Atlantic  States  which  the  coal  had 
to  traverse  to  reach  New  England,  but  Mr.  McAdoo  stood 
firmly  by  the  order.  The  order  was  not  strictly  adhered  to, 
especially  in  the  case  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  but  the 
shipments,  nevertheless,  were  large,  and  the  relief  furnished 
thereby  was  most  important,  because  it  furnished  the  Fuel 
Administration  a  liquid  supply  of  rail  coal  which  could  be 
effectively  used  in  rendering  quick  relief  in  emergency  cases. 

483 


A  few  days  previously,  in  the  last  days  of  the  old  Rail- 
road War  Board,  the  New  England  Fuel  Administrator 
had  obtained  from  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  a  thou- 
sand ears  bound  for  the  West,  which  had  been  standing 
on  the  rails  for  days,  unable  to  move  on  account  of  con- 
gestion. These  cars  were  reshipped,  or  diverted,  to  New 
England  by  all-rail  routes,  instead  of  to  their  original  west- 
ern consignees,  and  were  all  consigned  to  the  New  England 
Fuel  Administrator. 

Within  a  few  days  after  the  500-car  order  was  obtained, 
Mr.  Storrow  secured  the  diversion  to  New  England  of  the 
Panama  collier  "Achilles,"  loaded  with  12,500  tons  of  coal 
for  the  Panama  Railroad.  Following  this  trip  the  "Achilles " 
and  her  sister  ship  the  "Ulysses"  were  for  many  months 
regularly  loaded  for  the  account  of  the  New  England  Fuel 
Administrator  with  emergency  coal,  and  gradually  other 
vessels  were  added  to  this  service. 

The  relief  furnished  by  these  emergency  shipments  came 
just  in  time  to  save  New  England  from  a  catastrophe. 
By  breaking  them  up  into  very  small  units,  as  no  more 
than  a  few  days'  supply  could  be  furnished  any  consumer, 
New  England  came  through  the  crisis  not  only  without  a 
breakdown,  but  even  without  substantial  suffering.  Rail- 
roads, street  railroads,  electric  light  and  power  plants,  gas 
plants,  municipal  water  and  sewerage  plants,  and  many  im- 
portant munition  plants,  as  well  as  domestic  consumers, 
were  on  many  occasions  only  carried  through  by  means 
of  emergency  coal  furnished  by  the  New  England  Fuel 
Administration. 

A  description  of  a  few  of  the  more  serious  cases  will  well 
illustrate  the  general  condition  throughout  the  six  New 
England  States. 

The  Maine  Central  Railroad,  with  a  daily  consumption 
of  2,000  tons  of  coal,  was  in  a  dangerous  condition  through- 
out the  winter.  For  the  two  months  of  February  and  March 
the  New  England  Fuel  Administration,  in  order  to  keep 
(his  railroad  open  and  the  State  of  Maine  from  collapse,  had 

484 


to  find  and  send  to  the  Maine  Central  over  1,000  tons  of 
coal  per  day. 

The  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  with  a  consumption  of 
more  than  5,000  tons  daily,  was  dependent  during  February 
and  March  on  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration  for 
2,500  tons  or  more  of  coal  each  day. 

The  Bay  State  Street  Railway  Company,  the  largest 
railway  system  in  New  England,  operating  5L25  miles  of 
track  and  serving  territory  in  eastern  New  England  from 
Newburyport,  Mass.,  to  Newport,  R.  I.,  was  on  a  day-to- 
4ay  basis  for  its  coal  supply  throughout  almost  the  entire 
winter.  Its  consumption  during  the  winter  was  460  tons 
daily  at  its  14  power  houses.  On  March  2,  its  largest  power 
station,  at  Quincy,  with  a  daily  consumption  of  139  tons, 
had  but  two  days'  supply  on  hand,  of  which  150  tons  had 
been  borrowed.  At  its  station  at  Lynn,  on  the  same  day, 
it  had  three  days'  supply,  and  at  its  stations  at  Portsmouth 
and  Chelsea,  five  days'  supply.  Its  power  station  at  New- 
port was  operating  on  coal  borrowed  from  the  naval  station. 

The  Boston  Elevated  Street  Railway,  although  in  com- 
mon with  other  street  railways  in  New  England  it  had  re- 
duced its  service  to  a  minimum,  found  its  coal  supply  during 
March  so  low  that  it  required  emergency  assistance  from  the 
New  England  Fuel  Administration  to  prevent  a  shutdown. 

Many  of  the  other  street  railways  in  New  England  found 
themselves  during  January,  February  and  March  with 
their  reserves  exhausted  and  unable  to  obtain  coal,  and  had 
to  be  assisted  by  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration 
from  its  limited  emergency  supply.  The  following  street 
railways  were  also  among  those  which  were  furnished  emer- 
gency coal  in  order  to  prevent  shutdowns :  — 

Berkshire  Street  Railway. 

Norton,  Taunton  &  Attleboro  Street  Railway. 

Brockton  &  Plymouth  Street  Railway. 

Blackstone  Valley  Street  Railway. 

Northampton  Street  Railway. 

Blue  Hill  Street  Railway. 

485 


Emergency  coal  for  the  Berkshire  Street  Railway  and  the 
Northampton  Street  Railway,  located  in  the  extreme  western 
end  of  Massachusetts,  had  to  be  shipped  all-rail  from  Boston, 
where  it  had  been  received  by  tidewater  from  Hampton 
Roads. 

The  reserves  of  practically  all  gas  companies  in  New 
England  were  exhausted  early  in  January,  and  in  February 
and  March  many  of  the  larger  companies  had  to  obtain 
their  supply  from  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration's 
emergency  shipments.  A  number  of  companies  were  entirely 
dependent  on  this  emergency  supply. 

The  Narragansett  Electric  Company,  in  Rhode  Island, 
was  on  a  day-to-day  basis  throughout  the  winter,  and  had 
to  receive  emergency  coal  from  the  Fuel  Administration  to 
keep  in  operation. 

The  Rhode  Island  Company,  in  Providence,  came  down 
to  three  days'  supply,  and  the  Fuel  Administration  had  to 
furnish  emergency  coal  to  prevent  it  from  shutting  down. 

Many  important  munition  plants  would  have  been 
closed  if  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration  had  not 
rushed  in  an  emergency  supply  just  in  time  to  save  them 
from  a  shutdown.  Hospitals,  municipal  water  and  sewer- 
age pumping  stations,  and  hundreds  of  manufacturing  plants 
all  over  New  England,  were  also  saved  from  closing  by  ship- 
ments of  emergency  coal. 

The  extreme  danger  of  the  situation  is  very  concretely 
shown  by  the  distribution  order  of  the  12,500-ton  cargo  of 
the  collier  "Achilles,"  which  arrived  in  Boston  on  January 
17,  1918,  with  emergency  coal  consigned  to  the  New  Eng- 
land Fuel  Administrator,  to  be  distributed  by  him.  The 
following  is  a  verbatim  copy  of  the  order:  — 


486 


January  17,  1918. 

Charles  P.  Chase,  85  Devonshire  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

The  shipment  of  bituminous  coal  consigned  to  the  New  England 
Fuel  Administrator,  arriving  by  S.  S.  "Achilles,"  is  to  be  apportioned 
as  follows:  • — 


Name. 

Post  Office  Address. 

1 

Freight  Destination. 

Tons. 

Town  of  Middleborough 

Middleborough,  Mass,     . 

New  York,  New  Haven  & 

100 

water  department. 

Hartford  Railroad. 

Ware  water  works, 

Ware,  Mass.,    . 

Boston  &  Maine,  Southern 
Division. 

60 

Town  of  Foxborough  water 

Foxborough,  Mass., 

Care  of  Coal  Company  Sid- 

60 

department. 

ing. 

/North  Adams,  Mass.,  water 

North  Adams,  Mass., 

Boston  &  Maine,  Fitchburg 

60 

"  .  department. 

Division. 

Metropolitan  water  works,     . 

Chestnut  Hill,  Brookline, 

Brookline  Station,  Boston  & 

- 

Mass. 

Albany. 

Cambridge  water  works, 

Cambridge,  Mass., 

Fresh     Pond;      Boston     & 
Maine,    Fitchburg    Divi- 
sion. 

60 

Boston  State  Hospital, 

Notify  Mr.  Merrill,  State 

Boston;  Bird  Street  Station, 

60 

House,  Boston. 

Xew  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford  Railroad. 

Psychopathic  Hospital, 

Notify  Mr.  Merrill,  State 

Boston;  Harvard  Street  Sta- 

- 

House,  Boston. 

tion,     New     York,     Xew 
Haven  &  Hartford  Rail- 
road. 

Foxborough  Hospital  for  the 

Notify  Mr.  Merrill,  State 

Foxborough,     New     York, 

200 

Insane. 

House,  Boston. 

Xew   Haven  &   Hartford 

Railroad. 

State  Farm,  .         ... 

State  Farm,     . 

Titicut,    New    York,    New- 
Haven  &  Hartford  Rail- 
road. 

Massachusetts   Hospital 

Canton,  Mass., 

Canton      Junction,       Xew 

60 

School. 

York,  Xew  Haven  &  Hart- 
ford Railroad . 

Lakeville  State  Sanatorium, 

Middleborough,  Mass.,   . 

New  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford  Railroad. 

100 

Attleboro  Sanatorium, 

Attleboro,  Mass.,     . 

New  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford  Railroad. 

60 

Bay  State  Fishing  Company, 

- 

3  trawlers,    .... 

- 

Albion  K.  Parker, 

Chairman,  Fuel  Commis- 

New York,  New  Haven  & 

30 

sion,  Norwood,  Mass. 

Hartford  Railroad. 

C.  M.  Prouty, 

Chairman,     Fuel    Com- 
mission, Spencer,  Mass. 

Boston  &  Albany  Railroad, 

60 

Taunton      municipal      light 

Taunton,  Mass., 

New  York,  Xew  Haven  & 

200 

plant. 

Hartford  Railroad. 

Bay  State  Street  Railway,     . 

Chelsea,  Mass., 

To  be  lightered,   . 

400 

Bay  State  Street  Railway,     . 

Quincy,  Mass., 

To  be  lightered,  . 

550 

Grafton      County      Electric 

White    River    Junction, 

Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,    . 

60 

Light  and  Power  Company. 

Vt. 

Grafton      County      Electric 

Lebanon,  N.  H.,     . 

Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,    . 

60 

Light  and  Power  Company. 

New  England   Power  Com- 

Uxbridge, Mass.,     . 

Uxbridge;   New  York,  New- 

400 

pany. 

Haven  &  Hartford   Rail- 
road via  Boston  &  Maine, 
Worcester. 

Town  of  Brookline  water  de- 

Brookline, Mass.,    . 

Care  of  Highland  Ice  Com- 

60 

partment. 

pany,  West  Roxbury  Sta- 
tion, New  York,  New  Ha- 
ven &  Hartford  Railroad. 

Town  of  Brookline  water  de- 

Brookline, Mass.,    . 

Brookline      Water      Board, 

60 

partment.. 

Brookline  Station,  Boston 
&  Albany  Railroad. 

Gloucester  Coal  Company,   . 

Gloucester,  Mass.,  . 

Boston  it  Maine, 

250 

487 


Name. 


Post  Office  Address. 


Freight  Destination. 


Tons. 


Leominster  Coal  Company,  . 
Brookline  Coal  Company,  . 
Framingham  Coal  Company, 
City  of  Medford,   . 

Lynn  Gas  and  Electric  Com- 
pany. 

Maklen-Melrose  Gas  Light 
Company. 

Pittsfield  Coal  Gas  Com- 
pany. 

Nashua  Light,  Heat  and 
Power  Company. 

Wakefield  municipal  light 
plant. 

Woburn  Gas  Light  Company, 

Milford  Gas  Company, 

Salem  Gas  Light  Company,  . 

Attleboro  Gas  Light  Corpora- 
tion. 
Lawrence  Gas  Company, 

Westfield   Gas   and   Electric 

Light  Company. 
Rockland,      Thomaston     & 

Camden    Street    Railway 
City  of  Boston, 

City  of  Boston, 

City  of  Boston, 

Brockton  Hospital, 

City  of  Boston  Consump- 
tives Hospital. 

St.  Albans  Gas  Company,    . 

D.  W.  Powers, 

City  of  Everett,     . 

American  Sugar  Refining 
Company. 


Leominster,  Mass., 

Brookline,  Mass., 

Framingham,  Mass 

Medford,  Mans., 

Lynn,  Mass.,   . 

Maiden,  Mass., 

Pittsfield,  Mass., 

Nashua,  N.  H., 

Wakefield,  Mass., 

Woburn,  Mass., 

Milford,  Mass., 

Salem,  Mass., 

Attleboro,  Mass., 

Lawrence,  Mass., 

Westfield,  Mass., 

Rockland,  Me., 

Pumping    Station,    Cow 

Pasture,  Mass. 
Deer  Island,  Mass., 

Long  Island,  Mass., 

Brockton,  Mass., 

W.   W.    Kee,   City   Hall, 
Boston,  Mass. 

St.  Albans,  Vt., 

Marlborough,  Mass., 

Care  of  Wm.  E.  Weeks, 

Mayor. 
South  Boston,  Mass., 


New  York,  New  Haven  & 

Hartford  Railroad. 
Brookline,  Boston  &  Albany, 

Boston  &  Albany, 

Boston   &   Maine,    Western 

Division. 
To  be  lightered,   . 


Boston  &  Maine, 
Boston  &  Maine, 
Boston  &  Maine, 
Boston  &  Maine, 
Boston  &  Maine, 
Boston  &  Maine, 
Boston  &  Maine, 


New  York,  New  Haven  & 

Hartford  Railroad. 
Boston  &  Maine, 


Boston  &  Albany, 


Boston  &  Maine  and  Maine 

Central. 
To  be  lightered,  . 


To  be  lightered,  . 
To  be  lightered',  . 


New  York,  New  Haven  & 

Hartford  Railroad. 
Care  of  City  Fuel  Company, 

Milton,  Mass.,  New  York, 

New   Haven  &   Hartford 

Railroad. 
Central  Vermont  Railway,  . 

Boston  &  Maine,  . 

West  Street  Station,  Boston 

&  Maine,  Everett. 
To  be  lightered,   . 


100 

30 

30 

60 

500 

800 

200 

140 

60 

100 

100 

400 

160 

500 

100 

100 

600 

600 

600 

30 

100 

30 

60 

100 

1,000 


Balance  of  "Achilles"  cargo,  approximately  3,000  tons,  to  be  divided  equally  between  Boston 
retail  dealers,  as  follows:  — 

City  Fuel  Company,  Albany  Street,  1  lighter.  Staples  Coal  Company,  Albany  Street, 
1  lighter.  Warren-Bradford  Coal  Company,  Albany  Street,  Wellington-Wild  Coal  Company, 
Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  Massachusetts  Wharf  Coal  Company,  East  Boston,  Mass.,  lighters  to 
be  furnished  by  Maritime  Coaling  Company. 


488 


Suffering  was  prevented  in  many  communities  during  the 
winter  by  the  wholesale  use  of  wood  for  fuel,  not  only  for 
the  purpose  of  heating  dwelling  houses  and  apartments,  but 
also  office  buildings  and  hotels.  In  a  number  of  cases  it  was 
used  in  factories  for  the  production  of  power.  One  factory 
in  Worcester,  unable  to  obtain  coal,  burned  30,000  cords  of 
wood  in  order  to  keep  in  operation. 

Fortunately  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration, 
almost  immediately  after  its  organization,  had  started  an 
energetic  wood-cutting  campaign  throughout  the  State. 
The  result  had  been  an  enormous  increase  in  the  amount  of 
cord  wood  cut  during  the  fall  and  winter,  and  thousands  of 
cords  of  this  green  wood  were  burned  during  the  shortage 
where  coal  had  ordinarily  been  used.  During  1918  the  wood- 
cutting campaign  was  continued  vigorously  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Mr.  Jerome  R.  George  of  Worcester. 

The  coal  shortage  was  so  dangerous  in  January  that  it  was 
necessary  to  put  into  effect  very  stringent  conservation 
measures.  These  provided  that  stores  and  office  buildings 
should  not  open  before  9  a.m.,  and  must  close  at  5  p.m.  All 
theatres  and  moving-picture  shows  were  closed  at  10  p.m. 
On  two  occasions  in  Boston  it  was  necessary,  for  a  period  of 
several  days,  to  put  an  embargo  on  the  delivery  of  coal  to 
factories,  stores  and  office  buildings,  as  the  supply  in  the 
dealers'  yards  was  so  low  that  it  was  absolutely  imperative 
to  save  it  for  use  in  heating  dwelling  houses  and  hospitals, 
pending  the  arrival  of  new  shipments.  The  severe  measures 
which  had  to  be  taken  were  in  all  cases  cheerfully  complied 
with  by  the  public,  with  the  result  that  the  crisis  was  passed 
throughout  the  State  without  suffering. 

In  this  connection  mention  should  be  made  of  the  Federal 
five-day  closing  order,  followed  by  the  so-called  "heatless 
Mondays."  On  account  of  the  dangerous  congestion  of  the 
railroads  —  which  had  become  so  critical  that  a  large  num- 
ber of  vessels  were  tied  up  in  New  York  Harbor  loaded  with 
much-needed  supplies  for  our  army  and  the  Allies,  and  had 
been  waiting  for  weeks  without  being  able  to  get  bunker 

489 


coal  -  -  Dr.  Garfield  derided  that  drastic  action  was  neces- 
sary in  order  to  bring  relief. 

Announcement  was  made  on  the  evening  of  Wednesday, 
January  16,  that  for  five  days,  beginning  the  following 
Friday,  the  consumption  of  coal  in  territory  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  would  be  forbidden  to  any  industry  except 
ship-building  and  food-producing  plants,  and  a  few  prin- 
cipal munition  factories.  This  meant  that  practically  all 
factories  except  those  specifically  exempted,  and  all  stores 
and  office  buildings,  were  to  be  closed;  and  it  was  further 
announced  that  for  the  five  Mondays  following  there  would 
be  similar  "heatless"  days,  unless  there  was  an  improve- 
ment in  the  fuel  situation  which  would  make  it  possible  to 
revoke  the  order.  The  offices  at  the  State  House  following 
the  announcement  of  the  closing  days  presented  unusual 
scenes.  People  were  already  gravely  concerned  over  the 
shortage  of  domestic  fuel,  for  in  many  places  it  was  on  a 
bag-supply  basis.  The  order  suspending  the  work  of  the 
greater  part  of  our  population  fell  like  a  thunderbolt,  and 
was  notice,  if  further  notice  was  needed,  of  the  gravity  of  the 
situation.  The  corridors  in  the  State  House  were  thronged 
from  morning  till  late  at  night  with  manufacturers,  store- 
keepers and  owners  of  office  buildings,  all  asking  for  infor- 
mation and  rulings  on  the  closing  days  and  heatless  Mondays 
as  applied  to  their  establishments. 

The  time  was  so  short,  and  the  information  with  which 
to  make  rulings  so  inadequate,  that  these  days  were  a  great 
strain  on  the  Fuel  Administration,  not  only  in  Massachu- 
setts but  in  the  other  New  England  States.  In  Massachu- 
setts the  work  was  greatly  aided  by  a  voluntary  committee 
of  Boston  lawyers,  under  the  chairmanship  of  Mr.  W.  Rod- 
man Peabody,  who  made  rulings  night  and  day  until  all  the 
questions  brought  in  by  letter,  telephone,  telegram  or  per- 
sonal interview  had  been  answered.  The  chairmen  of  the 
local  fuel  committees  throughout  the  State,  as  well  as  the 
executive  staff  in  Boston,  were  in  many  instances  called  out 


490 


of  bed  in  the  early  morning  to  interpret  closing  rules  for  some 
anxious  citizen;  A  fine  spirit  of  patriotism  and  eagerness 
to  help  the  government  out  of  the  emergency  was  every- 
where exhibited  by  the  public,  and  the  order  was  observed 
throughout  New  England  with  the  greatest  respect. 

As  has  already  been  mentioned,  one  of  the  principal  pur- 
poses of  the  order,  in  addition  to  the  saving  of  coal  which 
might  be  effected,  was  to  give  the  railroads  an  opportunity 
to  get  abreast  of  their  freight.  Unfortunately,  the  weather 
during  the  five  closing  days  was  bitterly  cold,  so  that  the 
hoped-for  cleaning  up  on  the  railroads  was  much  impeded; 
but  considerable  progress  was  made,  especially  in  the  way 
of  bunkering  the  much-needed  ships  in  New  York  Harbor. 

In  the  weeks  that  followed,  however,  the  railroads  made 
marked  progress,  and  as  a  result  of  the  improvement  in  the 
situation  the  National  Fuel  Administrator  suspended  the 
heatless  Mondays  February  13,  but  gave  authority  for  any 
State  Fuel  Administrator  to  continue  them  in  his  State  for 
a  further  period  if  it  seemed  necessary.  As  the  outlook  con- 
tinued very  dangerous  in  New  England  it  was  necessary  for 
the  fuel  administrators  in  the  New  England  States  to  con- 
tinue the  heatless  Monday  for  an  additional  week. 


Distribution  of  Soft  Coal  by  New  England  Fuel 

Administration 

To  deal  effectively  with  the  critical  shortage  it  had  been 
necessary  for  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration  to 
take  complete  control  of  the  distribution  of  every  pound  of 
coal  which  came  into  New  England.  An  organization  had 
to  be  built  up  almost  overnight,  not  only  to  direct  the  dis- 
tribution of  all  the  coal  entering  New  England,  but  also 
to  handle  the  shipments  of  emergency  coal,  all  of  which 
were  shipped  to  the  order  of  the  New  England  Fuel  Admin- 
istrator, and  which  placed  him  within  a  very  few  days  in 
the  position  of  conducting  and  being  personally  financially 
responsible  for  a  very  large  coal  business. 

491 


In  order  to  exercise  effective  control  over  the  all-rail 
shipments,  an  experienced  railroad  man  was  stationed,  as 
representative  of  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration, 
at  each  of  the  four  all-rail  gateways,  —  Maybrook  and 
Harlem  River  on  the  New  Haven,  West  Albany  on  the  Bos- 
ton &  Albanv,  and  Mechanicville  on  the  Boston  &  Maine. 
By  means  of  these  agents  the  orders  for  diversions  given 
from  the  New  England  Fuel  Administration  office  in  Boston 
by  telegraph  or  telephone  were  promptly  carried  out,  and 
the  movement  of  all-rail  coal  effectively  directed. 

A  similar  control  was  exercised  over  water  shipments. 
Every  shipment  arriving  at  a  New  England  port  was  dis- 
tributed in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the  New 
England  Fuel  Administration.  Every  cargo  was  distributed 
to  relieve  the  pressing  emergency  cases  of  the  moment,  re- 
gardless of  whether  or  not  the  consignees  to  whom  the  coal 
was  shipped  were  customers  of  the  particular  concern  which 
had  shipped  the  coal. 

It  should  be  pointed  out  that  while  it  is  for  the  selfish 
interest  of  a  co'al  shipper  to  endeavor  to  protect  his  customer 
in  times  of  emergency  so  as  to  secure  the  customer's  good 
will  and  business  in  times  of  competition,  yet  the  New 
England  shippers,  practically  without  an  exception,  said, 
'Tell  us  what  you  want  and  where  the  coal  is  most  needed, 
and  we  will  make  our  shipments  accordingly."  Hardly  a 
single  request  of  the  New  England  Fuel  Administrator  re- 
quired a  formal  order  or  any  show  of  authority.  The  New 
England  shippers,  both  water  and  rail,  recognized  New  Eng- 
land's crisis,  and  with  the  utmost  loyalty  labored  with  the 
Fuel  Administration  to  avert  danger  and  prevent  distress. 

For  the  more  efficient  handling  of  the  business  detail  in 
connection  with  shipments  of  emergency  coal,  a  separate 
business  office  for  the  New  England  Fuel  Administrator  was 
opened  at  85  Devonshire  Street,  Boston.  Starting  with  the 
shipments  on  the  500-car  all-rail  order  of  January  3,  this 
business  increased  rapidly  in  volume,  until  finally  a  total  of 
•over  1,000,000  tons  of  emergency  coal,  representing  a  gross 

492 


business  of  over  $10,000,000,  was  transacted  by  the  New 
England  Fuel  Administrator  through  the  Devonshire  Street 
office. 

As  soon  as  it  became  clear  that  the  task  of  buying,  dis- 
tributing and  collecting  emergency  coal  had  to  be  assumed 
by  the  New  England  Fuel  Administrator,  the  president  of 
the  New  England  Wholesale  Coal  Dealers  Association,  Mr. 
Borden  Covel,  was  called  upon  for  assistance,  and  under 
his  supervision  and  direction  the  special  emergency  coal 
department  at  85  Devonshire  Street  was  organized  and  de- 
veloped with  the  necessary  assistance,  which  could  only  be 
afforded  by  men  who  had  had  experience  in  the  coal  business. 
It  is  fitting  that  special  recognition  should  be  given  to  the 
able  and  untiring  help  rendered  by  Mr.  Covel  and  his 
assistants. 

During  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  1918,  when  the 
outlook  for  the  year  still  seemed  dark,  the  New  England 
Fuel  Administration  made  a  determined  effort  to  increase 
the  flow  of  box-car  bituminous  coal  sent  from  Pennsylvania. 
This  box-car  coal  was  produced  by  small  independent 
wagon  mines.  The  owners  of  these  mines  were  accustomed 
to  be  paid  practically  spot  cash  out  in  the  mining  region, 
instead  of  permitting  their  coal  to  come  forward  on  the 
usual  terms,  and  but  little  of  it  had  previously  been  finding 
its  way  into  New  England.  It  is  true  that  in  many  cases 
this  coal  was  not  as  carefully  prepared  as  the  coal  of  the 
larger  operators,  but  at  the  time  this  increased  movement 
was  arranged  —  early  summer  of  1918  —  the  shortage  in 
New  England  was  still  serious,  and  there  was  an  overwhelm- 
ing demand  for  anything  that  would  burn,  while  the  out- 
look for  the  future  was  still  very  uncertain.  The  New  Eng- 
land Fuel  Administration  arranged  to  be  represented  at  the 
mines,  and  to  pay  the  owners  of  the  wagon  mines  spot  cash 
for  coal  to  be  shipped  to  New  England  for  distribution  by 
the  New  England  Fuel  Administration.  This  arrangement 
brought  in  a  large  additional  tonnage. 

As  a  result  of  Mr.   Storrow's  persistence  in  presenting 

493 


New  England's  critical  condition,  the  Shipping  Board  came 
to  the  rescue.  Due  to  the  effective  help  of  Mr.  E.  F.  Carry, 
director  of  operation,  and  particularly  to  the  experience 
and  ability  of  Mr.  P.  A.  S.  Franklin,  chairman  of  the  Ship- 
ping Control  Committee,  New  England's  coal  fleet  grew 
rapidly  in  carrying  power,  until  on  August  1,  1918,  it  had 
risen  to  111  steamers,  capable  of  carrying  476,762  tons 
of  coal  at  a  single  trip.  The  Shipping  Board  gave  to  Mr. 
Storrow  authority  to  determine  the  charters,  and  to  desig- 
nate the  destination  and  consignees,  of  these  coal-carrying 
steamers  which  it  turned  into  the  New  England  coal  trade. 

A  careful  system  of  chartering  and  directing  the  move- 
ment of  these  steamers  was  worked  out  with  the  very  able 
assistance  and  co-operation  of  Capt.  Arthur  L.  Crowley, 
the  New  England  managing  agent  of  the  Shipping  Board, 
so  that  the  steamers  moved  to  the  particular  southern  port 
and  pier  which,  under  the  actual  conditions  on  the  day  of 
their  arrival,  would  give  them  the  quickest  loading.  This 
system  involved  practically  an  hourly  knowledge  in  the 
administration  office  of  actual  conditions  at  all  the  southern 
piers,  and  frequently  of  diversions  of  steamers  en  route  to 
offset  unexpected  delays,  breakdowns  in  pier  machinery,  or 
fluctuations  in  the  coal  or  labor  supply  at  the  piers. 

Similarly,  to  get  these  vessels  unloaded  as  promptly  as 
possible  at  the  New  England  end,  every  New  England  port 
and  pier  capable  of  taking  a  steamer  had  to  be  served  with 
coal  continuously,  and  worked  to  its  full  capacity.  Con- 
stant watch,  by  wire  and  telephone,  was  kept  up  and  down 
the  coast,  and  steamers  were  fed  into  each  particular  pier 
at  Searsport  or  Portland,  Portsmouth,  Boston,  Fall  River, 
New  Bedford  or  Providence  as  fast  as  the  pier  could  take 
them,  while  every  means  was  taken  to  encourage  extra 
effort  at  our  New  England  piers  to  increase  their  efficiency. 

A  very  complete  system  for  obtaining  information  of  the 
daily  shipments  of  coal  to  New  England,  both  by  rail  and 
water,  was  built  up  at  the  office  at  the  State  House.  It  was 
there  known,  day  by  day,  the  amount  of  coal  which  had 

404 


the  previous  day  been  loaded  for  New  England  by  water 
from  every  loading  port;  also  its  destination  and  the  name 
of  the  consignee.  The  daily  reports  from  the  administra- 
tion's agents  at  the  all-rail  gateways  gave  the  same  detailed 
information  for  every  ear  of  coal  that  entered  New  England 
by  rail.  With  this  information  at  hand  it  was  not  only 
possible  to  effectively  control  the  distribution  of  the  coal 
shipped  into  New  England,  but  it  was  also  possible,  at  all 
times,  to  tell  whether  shipments  were  being  made  from  the 
mines  in  accordance  with  the  schedule  established  by  the 
Federal  Fuel  Administration  in  Washington,  and  to  show 
exactly  where  the  deficiencies  in  shipments  were  occurring. 

Improvement  in  Bituminous  Situation 

During  February  and  March,  1918,  every  effort  was  put 
forth  at  Washington  to  secure  a  definite  budget  of  bitu- 
minous coal  for  the  coal  year  1918-19,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  recurrence  of  a  similar  shortage  the  following  winter. 
A  careful  statement  of  New  England's  requirements  was 
placed  before  the  Federal  Fuel  Administration  and  the 
Shipping  Board,  whose  experts  went  over  the  data  at  first 
hand  in  order  to  reach  a  decision  on  the  New  England 
budget.  At  a  meeting  held  March  14,  in  Washington,  the 
New  England  budget  of  bituminous  coal  for  the  coal  year 
beginning  April  1,  1918,  was  set  at  30,000,000  net  tons  by 
the  Fuel  Administration,  the  representatives  of  the  Ship- 
ping Board  and  Railroad  Administration  concurring.  As 
part  of  the  budget  a  definite  schedule  was  made  for  all-rail 
and  water  movement  by  barge  from  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia, and  by  steamer  and  barge  from  Hampton  Roads 
and  Baltimore. 

Shipments  during  April,  May  and  June  were  much  below 
the  schedule,  and  up  to  September  the  situation  continued 
to  give  great  anxiety.  Gradually,  however,  the  full  effect 
of  the  measures  which  had  been  put  into  effect  to  improve 
conditions  began  to  be  experienced,  and  by  December  1 
New  England  had  received  nearly  4,000,000  tons  more  of 

495 


bituminous  coal  than  during  the  same  period  of  the  pre- 
vious year.  This  amount  might  have  been  made  even 
greater,  so  far  as  its  handling  and  financing  was  concerned, 
if  New  England  could  have  shown  that  its  industries  needed 
and  were  entitled  to  receive  it;  but  by  October  1  it  became 
clear  that  any  possible  danger  of  a  crisis  had  been  averted, 
and  after  that  time  all  direct  consignments  to  the  New  Eng- 
land Fuel  Administration  were  cut  off,  and  the  number  of 
steamers  plying  in  the  trade  was  gradually  reduced  from  week 
to  week.  In  December  the  situation  became  so  easy  that  Mr. 
Storrow  announced  there  would  be  no  further  regulation  of 
bituminous  coal  in  New  England,  and  the  business  was 
restored  to  its  normal  channels,  except  that  the  government's 
fixed  prices  were  to  be  continued  until  they  were  canceled 
by  the  Washington  authorities. 

It  will  perhaps  be  of  interest  to  briefly  describe  the  causes 
which,  within  a  period  of  less  than  a  year,  brought  about 
this  striking  change  in  the  Nation's  bituminous  coal  supply. 
The  effect  of  the  "zoning  system"  was  the  most  important 
single  factor.  The  producing  fields  were  divided  into  dis- 
tricts or  zones,  and  shipments  of  coal  from  each  of  these 
zones  were  limited  to  certain  States  prescribed  by  the  Fuel 
Administration.  This  caused  the  Middle  Western  States 
to  obtain  a  larger  proportion  of  their  supply  near  home, 
from  the  unburdened  coal  fields  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois 
and  Kentucky,  thus  taking  pressure  off  the  Pennsylvania 
and  West  Virginia  mines,  —  the  sources  of  supply  for  New 
England  and  the  other  eastern  munition -producing  States, 
as  well  as  for  the  unprecedented  demands  of  the  army  and 
navy.  This  "zoning"  also  reduced  the  average  haul  from 
mine  to  consumer,  and  so  increased  the  available  number  of 
coal  cars  and  locomotives.  The  "zoning  system"  was  a 
constructive  measure  which  reached  the  fundamental  causes 
of  the  bituminous  shortage  of  the  preceding  year  and  effec- 
tively cured  the  trouble.  Its  establishment  was  a  great 
achievement,  for  which  Dr.  Garfield,  the  Federal  Fuel  Ad- 
ministrator, is  entitled  to  the  highest  praise. 

496 


A  further  decisive  action  which  had  a  very  important 
effect  was  the  taking  of  complete  and  effective  control  by 
the  National  Fuel  Administration  of  all  the  bituminous  coal 
produced.  This  was  brought  about  by  establishing  a  district 
representative  of  the  Fuel  Administration  in  each  coal- 
producing  region,  and  also  by  giving  adequate  authority 
to  the  State  Fuel  Administrators  to  make  diversions  of  bi- 
tuminous coal  inside  their  States,  in  order  that  the  coal 
might  be  distributed  in  accordance  with  the  preference  list 
as  determined  by  the  War  Industries  Board. 

The  remarkable  improvement  in  the  operation  of  the 
railroads  under  Director-General  McAdoo  was  also  a  factor 
in  the  improvement  in  the  coal  situation,  the  importance  of 
which  cannot  be  overemphasized.  On  the  New  England 
roads,  as  well  as  upon  the  coal-carrying  roads,  this  improve- 
ment was  steadily  experienced.  At  practically  all  times 
after  April  1,  1918,  the  beginning  of  the  new  coal  year,  the 
New  England  railroads,  in  spite  of  carrying  an  unprece- 
dented volume  of  freight,  would  have  been  able  to  carry 
more  coal  if  it  had  been  possible  for  the  coal  to  have  been 
furnished  by  the  Fuel  Administration.  The  constantly  re- 
curring embargoes  of  the  previous  year  became  entirely  a 
thing  of  the  past. 

The  Railroad  Administration  also  greatly  helped  the  coal 
movement  to  New  England  by  the  effective  remedying  of 
the  obstacles  to  prompt  loading  at  the  great  railroad  piers 
at  Hampton  Roads  and  at  Baltimore,  and  also  by  the  ef- 
ficiency with  which  these  piers  were  kept  fed  with  coal. 
This  work  was  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Carl  R.  Gray, 
director  of  the  Division  of  Operation,  and  his  assistants, 
Mr.  W.  C.  Tyler  and  Mr.  Frank  C.  Wright,  and  was  handled 
with  unceasing  energy  and  great  skill. 

The  conservation  work  conducted  by  the  New  England 
Fuel  Administration  was  of  great  value,  and  deserves  special 
mention.  A  State-wide  propaganda  was  conducted  by  means 
of  the  daily  press,  correspondence,  speakers  and  display 
posters,  urging  the  necessity  of  saving  coal  as  a  war  measure. 

497 


Many  practical  methods  of  securing  economy  in  the  use  of 
coal  were  put  into  effect;  for  example,  elevator  service  in 
office  buildings  and  stores  was  curtailed ;  unnecessary  light- 
ing was  stopped  in  hotels,  stores  and  public  buildings;  and 
street  lighting  was  reduced  to  the  absolute  minimum  re- 
quired for  public  safety. 

Under  the  leadership  at  first  of  Mr.  A.  S.  Cobb,  and  sub- 
sequently of  Dr.  Ira  N.  Hollis,  president  of  the  Worcester 
Polytechnic  Institute,  a  thoroughgoing  movement  for  con- 
servation in  steam  plants  was  pushed  throughout  the  State. 
The  manufacturers  and  other  owners  of  steam  plants  were 
most  cordial  in  their  co-operation.  Factory  fuel  committees 
were  appointed  in  practically  every  plant  in  the  State,  and 
a  thorough  personal  examination,  both  of  the  production 
and  the  use  of  the  power  after  it  was  produced,  was  made  by 
a  board  of  excellent  engineers,  selected  by  an  advisory  com- 
mittee, and  among  whom  the  State  was  districted.  It  is 
well  within  bounds  to  say  that,  under  the  able  and  experi- 
enced leadership  of  the  Conservation  Department,  the  State 
of  Massachusetts  effected  a  saving  of  well  over  a  million 
tons  of  coal  which  otherwise  would  have  been  wasted. 

The  Anthracite  Shortage 

Up  to  this  point  the  account  of  the  fuel  situation  in  New 
England  has  been  mainly  concerned  with  soft  coal,  which 
in  volume  of  consumption  is  by  far  the  more  important, 
there  being  almost  three  times  as  much  soft  coal  burned  in 
New  England  as  there  is  anthracite.  The  story  of  the  an- 
thracite situation  in  New  England  during  the  war  is  in  the 
main  similar  to  that  of  bituminous  coal. 

Although  by  means  of  the  solid  train  movement  the  New 
England  Coal  Committee  had  succeeded,  in  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1917,  in  bringing  into  New  England  many  thousands 
of  tons  of  anthracite  which  otherwise  would  never  have 
been  received,  the  total  shipments  were  inadequate.  The 
severe  winter,  which  made  necessary  a  large  increase  in  con- 

498 


sumption,  also  completely  suspended  for  days  at  a  time  the 
movement  of  coal,  both  by  rail  and  water,  and  brought 
about  a  most  dangerous  condition  in  many  New  England 
cities  and  towns.  Most  fortunately  the  local  fuel  commit- 
tees, which  had  been  organized  in  every  city  and  town,  were 
on  hand  to  step  into  the  breach.  They  took  complete  charge 
of  the  available  supplies  of  anthracite  in  their  respective 
localities,  and  serious  suffering  was  everywhere  averted. 

In  Boston,  for  example,  on  several  occasions  during  the 
winter  there  was  in  the  yards  of  the  retail  dealers  riot  more 
than  two  days'  normal  supply  of  anthracite  and  bituminous 
coal  combined.  Early  in  January  it  became  necessary  to 
introduce  a  ticket  system,  and  at  one  time  there  were  30,000 
families  with  tickets  which  entitled  them  to  obtain  from  a 
station  100  pounds  of  coal  every  other  day.  Eighteen  de- 
livery stations  were  established,  covering  all  sections  of  the 
city.  These  stations  were  not  only  more  convenient  for  the 
public,  but  also  relieved  the  congestion  at  the  retail  dealers' 
wharves  and  yards.  It  was  a  daily  experience  to  see  long 
lines  of  men,  women  and  children,  people  in  limousines  and 
boys  with  sleds,  each  consumer  waiting  to  receive  a  100- 
pound  bag  of  coal.  In  several  communities  the  domestic 
situation  was  only  relieved  by  the  shipment  of  cars  of 
emergency  bituminous  coal  consigned  to  the  chairmen  of 
the  local  fuel  committees,  to  be  distributed  under  their 
orders. 

Lack  of  space  forbids  details  of  the  conditions  in  other 
places.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  many  other  towns  and 
cities  were  also  put  on  what  was  virtually  a  ration  basis  by 
their  local  fuel  committees,  consumers  being  limited  to  a 
bag  of  25  or  100  pounds.  It  was  only  the  courage,  judgment 
and  unwearied  diligence  of  the  local  fuel  committees  in  Lynn, 
Medford,  Lowell,  Lawrence,  Fall  River,  New  Bedford  and 
numerous  other  Massachusetts  towns  and  cities  which, 
without  loss  of  life  or  even  substantial  suffering,  brought 
their  communities  through  the  two  months  of  zero  weather 
which  characterized  the  New  England  winter  of  1917-18. 

499 


Alter  the  crux  of  the  winter  was  over  the  New  England 
Fuel  Administration  began  to  make  plans  for  the  coming 
year.  A  statement  of  the  anthracite  receipts  during  the  pre- 
vious three  years  was  obtained  from  the  local  chairmen  in 
every  city  and  town.  On  the  basis  of  this  information,  and 
taking  into  allowance  the  changes  in  population,  as  there 
had  been  large  increases  in  several  localities  on  account  of 
great  additions  to  shipbuilding  or  munition  plants,  the  an- 
thracite requirements  of  the  entire  State  were  determined. 

The  necessities  of  Massachusetts  and  the  other  New  Eng- 
land States,  if  the  people  were  to  have  enough  anthracite 
coal  to  be  kept  from  suffering  in  the  coming  winter,  meant 
a  very  substantial  increase  in  shipments  of  anthracite  to 
this  section  as  compared  with  the  preceding  two  years.  All 
reserves  were  gone.  Never  had  the  dealers'  yards  and  the 
household  bins  been  swept  so  bare.  New  England  began 
the  new  coal  year  with  practically  no  anthracite  either  in 
the  homes  or  in  the  dealers'  yards.  New  England  plainly 
needed  much  larger  shipments  of  domestic  anthracite.  But 
how  was  she  to  get  it? 

Mining  conditions  at  the  hard  and  soft  coal  mines  on 
April  1,  1918,  were  very  dissimilar.  Although  the  number 
of  soft  coal  miners  had  been  somewhat  depleted,  it  was 
believed  by  all  that  the  better  operating  conditions  on  the 
railroads,  which,  indeed,  were  already  beginning  to  be  felt, 
would  bring  the  cars  back  oftener  to  the  soft  coal  mines  and 
keep  them  more  nearly  in  continuous  operation.  It  was  also 
known  that  the  zone  system  would  give  relief  to  the  Penn- 
sylvania and  West  Virginia  soft  coal  fields  by  causing  the 
Middle  Western  States  to  work  their  home  mines  contin- 
uously during  the  summer.  This  would  offset  drawing  a 
heavy  tonnage  from  the  more  eastern  mines,  which  must 
supply  all  the  requirements  of  the  army  and  the  navy,  as 
well  as  the  abnormal  demands  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  States 
for  intensive  day  and  night  production  of  munitions. 

At  the  anthracite  mines  there  was  no  such  slack  to  be 
taken  up.     Located  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  as  they  are, 

500 


their  employees  were  being  constantly  attracted  into  the 
steel  plants,  the  shipbuilding  yards,  and  the  great  near-by 
munition  factories.  They  had  lost  relatively  more  men  than 
the  soft  coal  mines,  and  there  was  no  promise  that  improved 
railway  operation  could  be  relied  upon  to  increase  their 
output  for  the  coming  year.  The  railroads  serving  the 
hard  coal  district  of  eastern  Pennsylvania  had  been  excep- 
tionally strong  in  car  equipment,  and  were  also  favored  by 
the  fact  that  they  could  pull  a  large  proportion  of  their 
tonnage  to  destination  without  going  through  the  worst 
congested  spots  on  the  railway  map.  They  likewise  seemed 
to  have  been  operated  better  than  several  of  the  most  im- 
portant soft  coal  carriers.  At  any  rate,  the  car  supply  at 
the  hard  coal  mines  had  proved  to  be  sufficient  to  keep  them 
in  continuous  operation  throughout  the  previous  coal  year. 

The  shortage  at  the  soft  coal  mines  had  been  due  to  in- 
sufficient cars,  and  on  April  1,  1918,  it  was  clear  enough  that 
this  could  probably  be  improved  so  as  to  increase  the  out- 
put 10  or  12  per  cent.  The  shortage  at  the  hard  coal  mines 
had  not  been  of  cars  but  of  labor,  and  it  was  clear  enough, 
on  April  1,  that  the  mines  had  fewer  miners  and  less  mine 
labor  than  on  April  1  of  the  preceding  year,  and  that  if  the 
war  continued  they  would  be  obliged  to  go  through  the 
present  coal  year  still  shorter  of  help  than  during  the  pre- 
ceding vear. 

There  was  no  place  for  the  New  England  householder  to 
get  more  coal  this  year  unless  it  was  taken  away  from  some 
other  householder  elsewhere,  who  wanted  it,  was  anxious  to 
get  it,  to  pay  for  it  and  burn  it,  just  as  he  had  done  during 
the  preceding  year.  If  New  England  said  the  householder 
further  west  could  give  up  his  hard  coal  and  burn  soft,  the 
reply,  when  the  matter  was  discussed  at  Washington  and 
Philadelphia,  was  that  the  householder  in  the  Atlantic 
States  could  burn  the  soft  coal  just  as  well  as  the  hard. 
The  merits  of  the  case  were  close,  but  the  Federal  Fuel 
Administration  finally  decided  to  give  a  larger  tonnage  of 
domestic  anthracite  to  the  Eastern  Atlantic  States,  includ- 

501 


ing  Maryland,  Delaware,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  New 
York  and  the  New  England  States.  A  little  of  this  eoal  was 
picked  up  in  warmer  southern  States,  where  obviously  a 
few  days  of  cool  weather  in  winter  do  not  give  the  kind  of 
coal  to  be  burned  marked  importance  to  the  consumer. 
Some  of  the  coal  was  taken  from  the  far  western  States  where 
the  haul  is  really  rather  fantastic,  and  certainly  could  not  be 
justified  during  war  times.  The  balance  of  the  domestic 
anthracite  was  taken  from  the  near  western  States  which 
had  good  grades  of  soft  coal  near  at  hand.  This  represented 
a  clear  economy  of  transportation  and  labor,  so  far  as  the 
supply  for  the  householders  of  these  western  States  was 
concerned;  and  it  also  represented  an  economy  of  trans- 
portation and  labor  at  the  eastern  end,  because  the  hard 
coal  region  lies  well  to  the  east  of  the  soft  coal  fields,  and  is 
almost  at  the  door  of  the  householder  in  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Delaware  and  Pennsylvania,  and  represents  the 
minimum  amount  of  labor  and  transportation  necessary  to 
get  any  kind  of  coal  to  the  New  England  States. 

It  was  finally  decided  that  the  allotment  of  domestic 
sizes  of  anthracite  for  New  England  in  1918  would  be 
11,570,720  tons,  as  compared  with  a  delivery  in  the  normal 
coal  year  ending  April  1,  1917,  of  9,893,384  tons;  and  of 
this  amount  Massachusetts  had  allotted  for  the  year  6,371,- 
680  tons,  as  compared  with  receipts  two  years  ago  of  5,631,352 
tons. 

This  schedule  of  increase  gave  New  England  1,677,336 
net  tons  more  than  in  the  normal  coal  year  of  1916-17,  and 
Massachusetts  had  her  quota  increased  740,328  tons  over 
the  receipts  of  that  year. 

The  next  task  was  to  allot  equitably  between  the  different 
cities  and  towns  in  the  State  the  6,371,680  tons  of  domestic 
anthracite  destined  for  Massachusetts.  It  was  obvious  that 
the  increase  of  tonnage  could  not  be  distributed  evenly  all 
over  the  State.  War  conditions  had  brought  about  many 
changes  which  were  daily  being  accentuated.  In  one  city 
an  industrial  plant  employing  before  the  war  less  than  300 

502 


employees  had  expanded  to  over  12,000,  and  this  was  not  an 
isolated  ease.  The  building  up  of  the  Fore  River  Ship  Build- 
ing plant,  and  the  construction  of  the  wholly  new  great  Vic- 
tory Destroyer  plant  at  Squantum,  had  caused  great  changes 
in  the  distribution  of  population,  which  were  typical  of 
changes  which  had  taken  place  on  a  smaller  scale  in  other 
sections  of  the  State.  It  was  also  true  that  the  freezing  of 
the  Delaware  River  and  the  Staten  Island  Creek,  from  which 
came  practically  the  entire  anthracite  supply  of  the  seaboard 
cities,  like  Fall  River,  New  Bedford,  Boston,  Lynn  and 
other  places  on  or  near  the  coast,  had  made  the  shortage  of 
the  preceding  winter  at  these  places  more  acute  than  at 
interior  all-rail  points. 

The  local  allotment  figures  were  accepted  by  the  Anthra- 
cite Committee,  which  undertook  on  behalf  of  the  Federal 
Fuel  Administrator  to  see  that  coal  moved  from  the  mines 
according  to  the  allotment.  But  difficulties  apparently  be- 
yond the  control  of  the  Anthracite  Committee  caused  many 
inequalities  and  consequent  shortage  in  receipts,  up  to  the 
1st  of  October,  in  a  large  number  of  cities  and  towns. 

The  New  England  Fuel  Administration  kept  constant 
watch  of  the  shortage,  and  consequently  brought  it  to  the 
attention  of  the  Anthracite  Committee  and  asked  for  relief. 
In  many  cases  the  Anthracite  Committee  was  able  to  expedite 
shipments  and  provide  the  needed  relief,  but  it  was  found 
early  in  the  autumn  that  there  were  many  cases  of  persistent 
shortage,  which,  for  some  reason,  the  Anthracite  Committee 
did  not  seem  able  to  cure.  For  this  reason,  on  September 
28  an  order  was  obtained  from  the  National  Fuel  Adminis- 
tration directing  the  Anthracite  Committee  at  Philadelphia 
to  begin  shipping  50  cars  per  day  of  anthracite  of  domestic 
sizes,  consigned  and  billed  to  the  New  England  Fuel  Admin- 
istrator, to  be  used  to  care  for  emergency  cases.  All  the 
local  fuel  chairmen  were  asked  to  advise  of  any  dealer  whose 
customers  were  in  distress  because  he  was  out  of  coal.  In 
November  the  distribution  seemed  to  be  still  very  irregular, 
and  the  National  Fuel  Administration  gave  a  second  order 

503 


raising  the  daily  consignment  to  the  New  England  Fuel  Ad- 
ministration to  100  cars  per  day,  —  50  cars  for  Massachu- 
setts, and  50  cars  for  the  other  New  England  States.  Ship- 
ments of  this  emergency  anthracite  were  continued  until 
about  February  1,  1919.  Total  orders  for  more  than  4,000 
cars  were  filled. 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  government  never  took  the 
same  control  of  the  anthracite  distribution  as  it  did  of  bi- 
tuminous. The  supply  of  bituminous  coal  was  made  abso- 
lutely liquid.  The  Fuel  Administration  had  its  own  repre- 
sentatives at  the  mines,  who  took  control  of  the  coal  and 
gave  shipping  instructions  when  it  left  the  scales,  and  upon 
its  arrival  in  any  State  the  State  Fuel  Administrators  had 
clear  and  definite  authority  to  divert  the  coal  if  in  their 
opinion  it  was  necessary.  As  the  anthracite  situation  was 
handled  by  the  Anthracite  Committee,  composed  of  anthra- 
cite operators,  the  tendency  was  to  follow  the  lines  of  normal 
trade  channels,  and  the  government  had  no  representatives 
at  the  mines  and  did  not  have  the  same  effective  control  of 
distribution;  nor  were  the  State  Fuel  Administrators  en- 
couraged to  make  diversions  within  their  States. 

In  accordance  with  the  order  of  the  National  Fuel  Ad- 
ministration, the  distribution  of  anthracite  coal  to  house- 
hold consumers  was  very  strictly  regulated  throughout  the 
Commonwealth.  In  order  to  obtain  delivery  of  hard  coal 
from  any  retail  dealer  it  was  first  necessary  for  the  house- 
holder to  fill  out  a  blank  giving  information  as  to  the  size 
of  his  house,  the  kind  of  heating  plant,  the  number  of  rooms, 
amount  of  coal  burned  the  preceding  winter,  and  the  amount 
required  the  present  year.  On  orders  for  six  tons  or  less  it 
was  permissible  for  the  entire  order  to  be  filled  by  the 
dealer,  but  on  all  orders  of  over  six  tons  only  two-thirds  of 
the  order  could  be  delivered  until  such  time  as  two-thirds 
had  been  delivered  on  all  orders  in  the  community,  and 
until  the  local  fuel  administration  had  granted  permission 
for  the  final  third  to  be  delivered.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  coal 
came  into  many  communities  so  slowly  during  the  summer 

504 


months  that  the  maximum  delivery  to  any  one  consumer 
was  in  many  places  limited  to  a  single  load. 

In  addition,  local  fuel  committees  went  over  all  the  ap- 
plications for  coal  in  each  locality,  and  in  all  cases  which 
seemed  excessive  they  suspended  delivery  on  the  order 
until  an  investigation  had  been  made.  In  many  cases  the 
result  of  the  investigation  was  to  materially  reduce  the 
amount  of  the  order. 

Strong  measures  were  also  taken  to  conserve  a  supply  of 
domestic  sizes  of  anthracite  for  household  heating,  and  the 
use  of  anthracite  for  the  heating  of  factories,  office  buildings, 
stores,  hotels,  greenhouses  and  garages  was  forbidden.  In 
many  cases  the  use  of  soft  coal  by  apartment  houses  was 
made  compulsory. 

The  careful  regulation  of  distribution,  the  conservation 
for  domestic  use,  the  care  taken  to  distribute  the  supply 
coming  into  the  State  in  accordance  with  the  actual  neces- 
sities of  the  different  communities,  the  supply  of  emergency 
coal,  the  mild  weather  which  reduced  the  consumption  and 
at  the  same  time  prevented  any  serious  interruption  to 
transportation  facilities,  and  the  slight  increase  in  the  pro- 
duction of  the  anthracite  mines,  all  contributed  by  the  1st 
of  February  to  remove  all  danger  of  an  anthracite  shortage, 
and  therefore  the  Fuel  Administration  at  that  time  sus- 
pended all  its  regulatory  measures,  as  they  were  no  longer 
necessary. 

It  should  perhaps  be  mentioned,  in  bringing  to  a  close 
this  account  of  the  activities  of  the  New  England  Fuel  Ad- 
ministration, that  the  work  was  conducted  without  expense 
to  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  except  for  the  payment  of 
$2,844.29  on  account  of  preliminary  expenses  incurred  in 
the  early  stages  of  the  New  England  Coal  Committee.  The 
subsequent  expenses  of  the  New  England  Fuel  Adminis- 
tration were  paid  by  the  Federal  government,  each  New 
England  State  contributing  to  maintain  the  central  office 
at  the  State  House  out  of  its  allotment  from  Washington. 
The  total  amount  paid  by  the  Federal  government  for  the 

505 


expense  of  the  Fuel  Administration  in  Massachusetts  during 
the  eighteen  months  of  its  existence  was  $134,693.98. 

The  expenses  incurred  in  connection  with  the  purchase 
and  distribution  of  emergency  coal  were  paid  by  means  of  a 
small  commission  added  to  the  price  of  the  coal  to  the 
consumer. 

The  administration  of  the  finances  of  the  Fuel  Adminis- 
tration was  handled  with  notable  fidelity  and  efficiency  by 
Mr.  Edmund  W.  Longley,  treasurer  of  the  Massachusetts 
Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

The  organization  and  personnel  of  the  New  England  Fuel 
Administration  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  page  587. 


506 


Part  VII 


TREASURER'S   REPORT 

The  task  of  the  treasurer  of  the  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  was  very  exacting,  and  demanded  peculiarly  sound 
judgment  with  untiring  patience.  Yet  notwithstanding  the 
complex  interests  with  which  he  had  to  deal,  and  the  strict 
economy  he  insisted  upon  in  every  expenditure,  Mr.  Longley 
a$  all  times  retained  both  the  good  will  and  highest  regard 
of  his  associates  and  the  public. 

Mr.  Longley 's  letter  to  the  contributors  to  the  special 
fund  for  contingent  expenses,  together  with  his  account  as 
treasurer  of  the  Committee,  follows :  — 

Boston,  Mass.,  June  25,  1919. 

To  Each  Contributor  to  a  Fund  "for  the  Contingent  Expenses  of  the  Execu- 
tive Committee"  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

The  Treasurer  of  the  Committee  takes  pleasure  in  sending  you  here- 
with a  check  for  32  per  cent  of  the  amount  of  your  generous  contribution, 
made  in  the  spring  of  1917  to  the  General  Fund  of  the  Massachusetts 
Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

The  check  represents  your  proportion  of  the  fund  remaining  unex- 
pended and  unappropriated  after  winding  up  the  affairs  of  the  Committee 
and  paying  or  providing  for  all  expenses. 

This  General  Fund  amounted  to  $101,022.85,  and  was  given  by  639 
patriotic  citizens.  While  the  amount  has  been  sufficient,  it  has  been 
none  too  large. 

By  means  of  this  fund  the  Committee  has  been  able  to  make  emergency 
payments  promptly,  and  to  advance  wages  each  week  to  employees  of 
the  Committee  and  to  those  of  the  Federal  Food  and  Fuel  Administrations. 

Reimbursement  has  been  received  from  the  Treasurer  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts  for  money  advanced  employees  of  the  Com- 
mittee and  for  other  emergency  payments,  and  Federal  employees,  upon 
receiving  their  pay  from  Washington,  have  returned  their  advances  to 
this  Committee.  The  fund  has  been  a  revolving  fund,  and  has  been 
used  more  than  four  times  over. 

Pay  from  Washington  for  Federal  employees  was  necessarily  slow  under 
the  government  system  of  paying,  and  at  times  many  weeks  elapsed 
before  Federal  employees  received  their  pay  from  the  government.     At 

507 


about  the  time  of  the  signing  of  the  armistice  on  November  11,  1918,  so 
much  of  the  fund  had  been  advanced  that  the  Treasurer  believed  it 
would  be  necessary  to  secure  more  money. 

However,  with  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  activities  of  the  Committee 
were  immediately  lessened  and  soon  ceased,  and  it  was  unnecessary  to 
borrow  or  ask  for  further  funds. 

The  fund  has  enabled  the  Committee  to  act  freely,  according  to  its 
best  judgment,  which  would  not  have  been  always  possible  if  it  had  been 
wholly  dependent  upon  State  or  Federal  appropriations. 

Sixty-eight  per  cent  of  the  fund  has  been  expended  for  enterprises  in 
connection  with  war  work  that  in  the  judgment  of  the  Committee  were 
important,  but  of  such  nature  that  the  costs  might  be  more  properly  paid 
from  private  subscriptions  than  from  State  money. 

The  officers  of  the  Committee  have  managed  the  fund  with  constant 
care.  No  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  or  general  officer  has 
drawn  a  salary,  and  none  has  received  pay  for  personal  expenses  for  as 
much  as  the  cost  of  a  luncheon  or  a  cigar.  Further  than  this,  these  gentle- 
men and  ladies  have  spent  their  own  money  freely  to  relieve  suffering 
and  meet  emergencies  which  in  their  opinions  should  not  be  paid  out  of  a 
public  fund.  . 

Financial  statements  are  herewith  appended  showing  receipts  and 
expenditures  by  the  Committee  in  connection  with  this  General  Fund. 

There  are  also  given  three  other  statements  showing  payments  from  funds 
other  than  this  General  Fund,  raised  for  special  enterprises,  namely:  — 

Statement  showing  receipts  and  expenditures  in  connection  with  funds 
collected  for  the  purpose  of  placing  high  school  boys  on  farms  in  1917. 

Statement  showing  receipts  and  expenditures  in  connection  with  funds 
collected  for  the  purpose  of  equipping  and  despatching  over  350  men, 
120  horses  and  10  portable  sawmill  units  from  New  England  to  Old 
England  June  15,  1917. 

Statement  showing  receipts  and  expenditures  in  connection  with  funds 
collected  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  use  of  milk. 

In  addition  to  these  statements  of  funds  raised  by  private  subscrip- 
tions, a  statement  is  attached  showing  expenditures  that  have  been  made 
by  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  upon  recommendation  of  the 
Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety.  These  expenditures  by  the 
Commonwealth  have  all  been  made  by  the  State  Treasurer,  no  cash  of 
the  State  having  been  requested  or  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Committee  on  Public  Safety,  except  in  the  way  of  reimbursement 
for  pay-roll  and  emergency  payments  which  it  had  advanced  out  of  its 

General  Fund. 

Respectfully  yours, 

EDMUND   W.  LONGLEY, 

Treasurer,  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

508 


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Statement  of  Collections  from  New  England  Commonwealths 
to  meet  Proportionate  Parts  of  Cost  of  'the  New  England 
Fuel  Committee  paid  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 
prior  to  the  appointment  of  a  federal  fuel  administrator 
for  New  England  on  October  3,  1917. 


Date  of 
Collection. 

Commonwealth. 

Amount 
collected. 

Date  sent  to 

State 

Treasurer. 

Mar.     9,   1918 
Apr.      4,   1918 
Mar.   23,   1918 
Aug.    12,   1918 
-May    29,   1919 

New  Hampshire,             ..... 

Rhode  Island,       ...... 

Vermont,     ....... 

Connecticut,          ...... 

Maine,          ....... 

Total 

$354  09 
381  32 
550  00 
926  07 
653  70 

May     3,   1918 
May      3,   1918 
Nov.   18,    1918 
Nov.    18,   1918 
June      3,   1919 

$2,865  18 

Note.  — ■  The  remainder  of  this  cost,  namely,  $2,S44.29,  was  borne  by  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts. 


Statement  of  Collections  from  Municipalities  for  Supplies  fur- 
nished during  Epidemic  of  Spanish  Influenza. 


Date  of 

Collection. 

City  or  Town. 

Amount 
collected. 

Date  sent  to 

State 

Treasurer. 

Nov.    13,   1918 

Arlington,    ....... 

$132  51 

Jan.       8,   1919 

Nov.   13,   1918 

Bridgewater, 

349  59 

Jan.       8 

1919 

Dec.      5,   1918 

Newton  (American  Rec 

Cross), 

30  00 

Jan.       8 

1919 

Nov.   11,   1918 

Nantucket, 

222  30 

Jan.       8 

1919 

Dec.    20,   1918 

Plymouth,   . 

128  40 

Jan.       8 

1919 

Dec.    17,   1918 

Salem, 

139  98 

Jan.       8 

1919 

Dec.    12,   1918 

Somerville,  . 

287  00 

Jan.       8 

1919 

Nov.   29,   1918 

Tyngsborough, 

. 

40 

Jan.       8 

1919 

Dec,      6,   1918 

Dedham, 

20  00 

Jan.     15 

1919 

Dec.    31,   1918 

Whitman,     . 

87  85 

Jan.     15 

1919 

Dec.    31,   1918 

Lawrence,    . 

3,419  04 

Jan.     15 

1919 

Jan.     16,   1919 

Fall  River,  . 

1,297  72 

Jan.     23 

1919 

Jan.     28,   1919 

Brockton,    . 

. 

435  25 

Jan.    28 

1919 

Feb.     19,   1919 

Taunton, 

3,167  48 

Feb.    19 

1919 

Mar.    15,   1919 

Lowell, 

1,581  02 

Mar.   25 

1919 

Feb.    20,   1919 

Amesbury,  . 

.  1,503   10 

Mar.   25 

1919 

Mar.   10,   1919 

Cambridge, 

467  03 

Mar.  25 

1919 

Apr.      4,   1919 

Mansfield,    . 

3  60 

Apr.     11 

1919 

Total,   . 

$13,272  27 

Note.  —  Nine  municipalities  to  whom  bills  for  supplies  amounting  to  89,S91.04  have  been 
sent  have  not  made  remittances. 


514 


Expenditures  made   from   General  Fund   of  the   Massachusetts 
Committee  on  Public  Safety  February  18,  1917,  to  June  18,  1919. 


Net 

Account 

Total 

Cash 

Payments 

from 

General 

Number. 

Payments. 

collected. 

Fund. 

B-20 

Contributions  to  cost  of  fitting  out  New 

England  Sawmill  Units  for  England, 

$12,017  47 

- 

$12,017  47 

B-20 

Cost  of  printing  report,  .... 

273 

25 

- 

273  25 

B-46 

Massachusetts  Auxiliary  Committee  of  the 

Department  of  Justice, 

10,330 

98 

$330  98 

10,000  00 

B-48 

Volunteer    Radio    School    at     Mechanics 

Building, ,  . 

1,056 

31 

15  00 

1,041  31 

B-52 

Patriotic  food  meeting  at  Boston  Opera 

h 

House,        ...... 

1,104 

32 

- 

1,104  32 

B-54 

Intelligence    Bureau,    Massachusetts    De- 

partment of  Justice,  Adjutant-General, 

16,553 

89 

115  80 

16,438  09 

B-55 

Worcester  recruiting  campaign, 

222 

77 

227  00 

4  23* 

B-56 

Miscellaneous  expenses,  .... 

4.20S 

11 

43  44 

4,164  07 

B-57 

Part  pay  of  special  officer  at  Ayer  in  serv- 
ice of  Committee  on  Prevention  of  Social 

Evils  Surrounding  Military  Camps, 

969 

00 

- 

969  00 

B-5S 

Personal  telegram,            .... 

6 

65 

6  65 

- 

B-62 

Expenses  of  Speakers'  Bureau, 

30 

11 

26  25 

3  86 

B-63  and 

Miscellaneous    expenses    of    the    Federal 

B-64 

Milk  Commission  not  collectible  through 

Washington,        ..... 

273 

06 

150  00 

123  06 

B-65 

Advertising  —  food  leaflet  to  be  sent  with 

business  mail,      ..... 

350 

00 

350  00 

- 

B-66 

Food    advertising   paid    by   private    sub- 

scriptions,            ..... 

175 

00 

175  00 

- 

B-74 

Sick    pay    of    employees    during    the    in- 

fluenza epidemic,          .... 

1,278 

44 

- 

1.27S  44 

B-77 

Cost  in  excess  of  appropriation  of  portable 

house  at  Ayer,    ..... 

167 

79 

- 

167  79 

B-78 

Portion  of  expenses  of  community  service 

on  Boston  Common,    .... 

1,520 

98 

- 

1,520  98 

B-79 

Clerks,  final  pay,    ..... 

368 

00 

- 

368  00 

B-80 

Contribution  to  the  Bureau  for  Returning 
Soldiers,  Sailors  and  Marines  for  pay- 

roll purposes,       ..... 

4,999 

29 

- 

4,999  29 

B-81 

Publication  of  report  of  the  activities  of  the 
Massachusetts    Committee    on    Public 

Safety,        ...... 

937 

74 

- 

937  74 

B-82 

Expenses  of  the  Committee  on  War  Ef- 

ficiency for  distribution  of  labor,  . 

4,452 

25 

- 

4,452  25 

B-83 

Expenses  of  the  Committee  on  War  Re- 

sources,     ...... 

771 

48 

- 

771  4S 

B-84 

Printing  and  mailing  final  financial  reports, 

79 

61 

- 

79  61 

B-85 

Certificates  for  members  and  employees  of 
Public    Safety,    Food    and    Fuel    Com- 

mittees,     ...... 

1,740 

41 

— 

1,740  41 

i  Credit. 


515 


Expenditures  made  from  General  Fund  —  Concluded. 


Net 

Account 

Total 

Cash 

Payments 

from 

General 

Number. 

Payments. 

collected. 

Fund. 

B-86 

Consulting  architect,  Harold  F.  Kellogg,    . 

$168  47 



$168  47 

B-87 

Pay  of  stenographer  and  clerk  engaged  in 

winding  up  affairs  of  Committee, 

475  00 

- 

475  00 

B-88 

Bill  for  board  and  food,   at  the  Hoosic- 
Whisick    Club,    for    nurses    during    in- 

fluenza epidemic,          .... 

64  85 

- 

64  85 

B-90 

Food   and   sugar   pay-roll   not   collectible 

from  Washington,         .... 
Total  expenditures  from  General  Fund, 

703  07 

- 

703  07 

$65,298  30 

$1,440   12 

$63,858  18 

516 


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A  copy  of  report  of  audit  of  accounts  of  H.  G.  Philbrook,  treasurer, 
by  A.  R.  Patterson,  showing  contributions  and  interest  received,  $119,- 
189.50,  and  disbursements,  $129,176. 25,  follows. 

After  the  accounts  were  turned  over  to  the  Massachusetts  Committee 
on  Public  Safety,  that  Committee  contributed  $12,017.47  by  taking 
up  a  note  then  due  amounting  to  $9,986.7.5,  and  paying  bills  presented 
later  amounting  to  $2,030.72,  making  the  total  receipts  for  the  enterprise 
$131,206.97.  Disbursements  of  $129,176.25  made  by  Mr.  Philbrook 
and  $2,030.72  made  by  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
make  total  expenditures  of  $131,206.97,  which  equal  the  amount  of 
total  receipts.  For  details  of  expenditures  see  exhibits  numbered  from  2 
to  10. 

Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety, 

EDMUND   W.  LONGLEY, 

Treasurer. 

Report  of  Audit  of  Accounts  of  H.  G.  Philbrook. 

Stone  &  Webster,  147  Milk  Street, 
Boston,  September  14,  1917. 

E.  W.  Long  ley,  Esq.,  Treasurer,  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  Slate  House, 

Boston,  Mass. 

Dear  Mr.  Longley  :  —  Mr.  Philbrook  is  arranging  to  forward  to 
you  by  special  messenger  all  of  his  records  in  connection  with  his  services 
in  the  capacity  of  treasurer  of  the  Committee  on  Mill  Units  for  England. 

From  the  accounting  viewpoint,  the  principal  records  included  in 
the  schedule  which  will  be  presented  to  you  are  a  combined  cash  book, 
journal  and  ledger,  and  a  file  of  vouchers,  the  former  including  entries 
dating  from  June  to  September,  1917,  and  the  latter  being  numbered 
from  1  to  173,  inclusive. 

In  accordance  with  your  request  we  have  audited  the  cash  book  and 
the  vouchers  and  have  found  them  to  be  satisfactory.  The  information 
contained  therein  is  summarized  as  follows:  — 

Contributions $119,175  00 

Interest  on  deposit 14  50 

$119,189  50 

Demand  note,  June  11,  1917, $25,000  00 

Less  payments  indorsed, 15,013  25 

9,986  75 

$129,176  25 
Disbursements  as  per  vouchers  No.  1  to  173 129,176  25 

Balance, - 

520 


This  combined  cash,  hook,  together  with  the  vouchers,  constitutes  a 
simple,  clear  and,  considering  the  object,  adequate  record  of  Mr.  Phil- 
brook's  transactions  as  treasurer  for  this  committee. 

We  presume  you  will  be  concerned  with  the  question  of  contributions 
yet  to  be  received  and  possible  unpaid  bills.  This  is  a  subject  upon  which, 
we  understand,  Mr.  Philbrook  personally  will  write  you.  In  this  con- 
nection it  would  seem  desirable  to  inform  you  that  there  will  be  no  charge 
for  our  services  in  making  this  simple  audit. 

I  shall  take  pleasure  in  referring  your  acknowledgment  to  this  letter 
to  Mr.  Philbrook  in  order  that  he  may  be  possessed  of  both  your  receipt 
for  the  records  to  be  sent  you  and  a  copy  of  this  letter  representing  the 
audit  of  his  accounts. 

Yours  verv  trulv, 

A.  R.  PATTERSON. 


521 


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522 


Report  of  Expenditures  recommended  by  the  Massachusetts 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  and  made  by  the  State 
Treasurer. 

Funds  were  made  available  for  such  war  and  contingent  expenses  as 
the  Governor  and  Executive  Council  might  approve  under  the  following 
legislative  acts :  — 

Under  chapter  202  of  the  Special  Acts  of  1917,  approved  March  19, 

1917,  the  sum  of  $1,000,000  was  appropriated  to  be  expended  in  de- 
fraying the  military,  naval  and  other  expenses  which  the  emergency 
arising  out  of  existing  conditions  and  the  exigencies  of  possible  war  might 
render  requisite  and  proper. 

Under  chapter  32-1  of  the  General  Acts  of  1917,  approved  May  25, 
19,17,  the  sum  not  exceeding  $1,000,000  was  authorized  to  meet  the 
expenses  arising  from  any  emergency  during  the  recess  of  the  General 
Court  by  reason  of  the  exigencies  of  the  existing  state  of  war. 

Under  chapter  63  of  the  Special  Acts  of  1918,  approved  March  1, 

1918,  the  sum  not  exceeding  $200,000  was  authorized  for  the  purpose  of 
promoting  and  stimulating  the  production  and  conservation  of  food 
products  and  for  like  purposes  growing  out  of  the  present  war  emergency. 

Under  chapter  139  of  the  Special  Acts  of  1918,  approved  April  24, 
1918,  the  further  sum  of  $100,000  was  appropriated  for  the  purpose  of 
promoting  and  stimulating  the  production  and  conservation  of  food 
production,  etc. 

Under  chapter  278  of  the  General  Acts  of  1918,  approved  May  31, 
1918,  expenditures  were  authorized  not  exceeding  $1,000,000  to  meet 
any  emergency  which  might  arise  during  the  recess  of  the  General  Court 
by  reason  of  the  exigencies  of  the  existing  state  of  war. 

The  total  expenditure  made  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 
under  these  four  war  appropriations  is  reported  by  the  Auditor  of  the 
Commonwealth  to  have  been  $1,489,653.50. 

Expenditures  amounting  to  $823,126.89,  including  the  erection  of  a 
building  wherein  shipments  could  be  mobilized  in  connection  with  the 
Food  Conservation  Plan,  and  preparing  the  road  in  front  of  the  Boston 
Fish  Pier  Freight  House,  and  for  the  cost  of  combating  the  influenza 
epidemic,  and  considerable  expenditures  in  connection  with  equipping  the 
State  Guard,  have  been  made  by  the  State  Treasurer  on  vouchers  certi- 
fied to  by  State  departments  other  than  the  Massachusetts  Committee 
on  Public  Safety. 

The  statement  which  follows  shows  expenditures  which  have  been 
made  by  the  Commonwealth  upon  recommendation  of  the  Massachusetts 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  on  vouchers  presented  and  certified  to  by 
that  committee. 


523 


Statement  of  War  Expenses  incurred  by  the  Massachusetts 
Committee  on  Public  Safety,  paid  by  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts,  from  Organization  of  Committee  on  February 
15,  1917,  to  April  15,  1919  (Two  Years  and  Two  Months). 


Account 
and 

Appropria- 
tion 

Numbers. 


Amounts 

appropriated 

by  the 

Governor 
and  Council. 


Amounts 
expended. 


A-l-A-2 
A-7-A-16 

A-17 


A-3 


A-13 
A-21 


A- 

-9-5 

A 

-22 

A- 

-9-3 

A 

-9-1 

A- 
A- 

-14-A- 
-38-B 

24 

A-4 

A- 

-44-63 

A-72 
A-32 
A-19-A-38 


A-5 
A-23 


A-25 


Expenses  of  organizing  and  of  conducting  all 
affairs  of  the  Committee  not  covered  by  the 
following  special  appropriations,  including 
furniture,  fittings  and  stationery,  wages,  print- 
ing, travel,  etc.,    ...... 

Construction  and  operation,  Naval  Training 
School  at  Squantum,     ..... 

Military  Expenditures. 

Equipment  for  men  of  Base  Hospital  Unit  No.  5, 

Additional  expense  in  connection  with  Base 
Hospital  Unit  No.  5,  —  finger-print  outfits, 
medicine,  knives,  forks  and  plates  for  the 
9th  Regiment,       .....; 

Advertising  in  connection  with  recruiting,  . 

For  recruiting  men  for  National  Guard, 

Buttons  for  recruits,  ..... 

Care  of  and  supplies  for  militia  in  the  field, 

Wooden  floors  for  tents  at  Watertown  Arsenal 
used  by  militia,     ...... 

Returning  booths  used  for  shelter  by  militia  from 
Watertown  Arsenal  to  Boston, 

Dental  equipment,  medicines,  etc.,  in  1917, 

Dental  supplies  used  for  drafted  men  by  Harvard 
and  Tufts  Dental  Schools,  1918,  and  for  supplies 
used  on  the  teeth  of  drafted  men  and  for  neces- 
sary expenses  of  a  clerk  and  records  in  connec- 
tion with  the  same,        ..... 

For  the  purchase  of  200  hats  for  the  State  Guard, 
replacing  hats  taken  by  men  sent  overseas, 

Rental  of  land  opposite  Commonwealth  Armory 
used  by  the  1st  Massachusetts  Cavalry, 

Washington  expenses  of  Assistant  Executive 
Manager  Donham,  securing  some  $700,000 
worth  of  clothing  and  equipment  for  Massa- 
chusetts troops,     ...... 

Veterinarian  supplies,        ..... 

Installing  sanitary  system  at  Framingham  for 
State  troops,  ...... 

Cost  of  military  instructions  for  providing  officers 
and  non-commissioned  officers  of  Massachusetts 
National  Guard  with  military  instructions 
prior  to  ordering  into  Federal  service, 


$103,937  05 

45,000 

00 

5,000 

00 

1,086 

49 

2,764 

20 

2,500 

00 

750 

00 

1,452 

06 

1,149 

49 

125 

00 

9,000 

00 

1,940 

00 

350 

00 

07 

60 

1,063 

75 

309 

45 

19,750 

00 

•   2,430 

61 

$103,144  25 
32,998  24  ' 

5,000  00 


1,086  49 

2,738  25 

2,230  25 

750  00 

1,438  02 

1,149  49 

125  00 

6,556  55 


1,185  31 

350  00 

67  50 


1,063  75 
227  00 

16,933  23 


2,430  61 


1  $20,000  of  this  amount  has  been  collected  from  the  Bethlehem  Steel  Corporation  for 
buildings  erected,  and  paid  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Commonwealth. 


524 


Statement  of  War  Expenses,  etc.  —  Continued. 


Account 
and 

Appropria- 
tion 

Numbers. 

Amounts 

appropriated 

by  the 

Governor 
and  Council. 

Amounts 

expended. 

Military  Expi  nditun  a  — ■  Con. 

A-60 

For   putting   aeroplane   belonging    to   Common- 

wealth into  commission  in  1917,      . 

$503  28 

$503  28 

A-38-C 

Expenses  of  instruction  of  medical  officers,  Coast 

Defense  Course,  Class  4,         . 

293  00 

293  00 

Food  Production  and  Conservation. 

A-6 

Food    Production    and    Conservation,    General 

committee  expenses,  1917,      .... 

40,000  00 

40,000  00 

A- 15 

fertilizer  for  Massachusetts  Agricultural  School, 

1917 

1,500  00 

- 

A-S 

Additional  help   for   county   agricultural    agent, 

1917 

35,000  00 

24,491   51 

A-39 

Expenses    of    Department    of    Mobilization    of 

Schoolboys  for  Farm  Service  to  April  1,  1918, 

4,000  00 

3,714  99 

A-51 

For  promoting  and  stimulating  the  production  of 
food  products  through  establishing  schoolboy 

camps  since  April  1,  1918,      .... 

46,000  00 

35,764  64 

A-50-A 

Expense  of  promoting  and  stimulating  the  pro- 
duction and  conservation  of  food  products,  1918, 

general  office  expenses, 

41,250  00 

23,533  61 

A-50-B 

License  department, 

15,360  00 

3,245  96 

A-50-C 

Retail  merchant  representatives, 

2,788  00 

1,299  88 

A-50-D 

Hotels  and  restaurants,     . 

4,000  00 

1,168  02 

A-50-E 

Committee  on  Food  Production, 

6,000  00 

975  84 

A-50-F 

Boston  produce  market  service, 

3,000  00 

824  96 

A-50-G 

State-wide  market  service, 

5,800  00 

7,386  47 

A-50-H 

County  administrators, 

15,000  00 

24,525  97 

A-50-I 

County  farm  bureau, 

30,000  00 

L'7.179  85 

A-50-J 

College  special  service, 

24,700  00 

16,730  11 

A-70 

Cost     of     Food     Administration     Building     on 

Common,      ....... 

1,500  00 

1,495  S3 

Hospital  and   Emergency   Equipment   and   Other 

Costs. 

A-43-B 

Commonwealth    Emergency    Hospital,     twenty 

Ford  ambulances,           ..... 

14,000  00 

13,385  62 

A-43-C 

Commonwealth    Emergency    Hospital,    matron 

nurse,            ....... 

900  00 

900  00 

A-43-D 

Commonwealth   Emergency   Hospital,    assistant 

matron  nurse,        ...... 

750  00 

750  00 

A-43-E 

Commonwealth  Emergency  Hospital,  heating, 

3,600  00 

315  03 

A-43-F 

Commonwealth   Emergency   Hospital,    fire   pro- 

tection,        ....... 

500  00 

249  25 

A-43-A 

Commonwealth  Emergency  Hospital,  two  firM- 

aid  dressing  stations,     ..... 

10,000  00 

10,000  00 

525 


Statement  of  War  Expenses,  etc.  —  Continued. 


Account 

Amounts 

and 
Appropria- 
tion 

appropriated 

by  the 

Governor 

Amounts 
expended. 

Numbers. 

and  Council. 

Hospital   and   Emergency   Equipment   and   Other 

Costs  —  Con. 

A-40-A 

Emergency    Hospital,    Commonwealth    Avenue, 

building,       ....... 

130,000  00 

$25,598  94 

A-40-B 

Emergency    Hospital,    Commonwealth    Avenue, 

equipment,              ...... 

15,000  00 

14,778  94 

A^IO-C 

Emergency    Hospital,    Commonwealth    Avenue, 

X-ray  plant,          ...... 

2,000  00 

978  44 

A-40-D 

Emergency    Hospital,    Commonwealth    Avenue, 

fittings  and  extras,         ..... 

3,000  00 

2,982  24 

A-45 

For  purchase  of  four  hospital  units  and  for  medi- 

cal supplies,           ...... 

10,000  00 

4,296  28 

A-61 

Commonwealth    Emergency    Hospital,    mainte- 

nance, messing  kitchen  and  ward  equipment,    . 

14,000  00 

7,706  80 

Activities  of  Committee  on  Social  Evils  surround- 

ing Military  Camps. 

A-31 

For  prevention  of  social  evils  surrounding  mili- 

tary camps,            ...... 

15,000  00 

10,464  53 

A-33-A 

Construction  of  a  convenience  station  for  men 

1  i 

and  women  at  Ayer,      ..... 

10,000  00 

7,324  68 

A-33-B 

Convenience  station  for  men  and  women  at  Ayer, 

maintenance  and  operation  of  same, 

2,000  00 

791  00 

A-50 

To  cover  the  cost  of  purchasing  a  portable  house, 
and  to  cover  expenses  in  connection  therewith 
for  the  use  of  the  special  officer  or  officers  of  the 
Massachusetts  District  Police  stationed  in  the 
town  of  Ayer,  and  for  other  use  in  connection 
with  the  work  in  combating  social  evils  arising 
out   of   the  establishing  of   a   camp   at  Ayer, 

. 

Mass.,           ....... 

1,400  00 

1,400  00 

Miscellaneous, 

A-6-15 

Women's  enrollment  campaign, 

1,500  00 

1,500  00 

A-9-2 

Cataloging  physicians  in  Massachusetts, 

600~00 

- 

A-9-4 

Industrial  survey,     ...... 

560  91 

560  91 

A-9-6 

Pennants  for  automobiles  volunteered  for  service, 

65  00 

65  00 

A-20 

Equipment  of  Sawmill  Units,  '  . 

12,000  00 

12,000  00 

A-26 

For  cost  of  securing  adequate  supply  of  coal  for 
Massachusetts  in  connection  with  the  work  of 

the  New  England  Coal  Committee,  -     . 

5,709  47 

5,709  47 

1  The  total  cost  of  this  enterprise  was  $131,206.97,  the  remainder  of  the  cost  being  met  by 
contributions  of  other  New  England  States  and  by  private  contributions. 

2  In  connection  with  this  work  Maine  paid  $653.70,  Connecticut,  $926.07,  New  Hampshire, 
$354.09,  Rhode  Island,  $381.32  and  Vermont,  $550. 


52G 


Statement  of  War  Expenses,  etc.  —  Concluded. 


Account 
and 

Appropria- 
tion 

Numbers. 

Amounts 

appropriated 

by  the 

Governor 
and  Council. 

Amounts 
expended. 

Miaa  llnneous  —  Con. 

A-37 

Clerical  work,  selective  draft,  office  of  Director  of 

Statistics,  Mr.  Gettemy,         .... 

$620  94 

$626  94 

A-41 

Committee  on  War  Labor  Efficiency, 

5,824  S4 

5,824  84 

A-C8 

10  typewriting  machines,             .... 

900  00 

900  00 

A-73 

Work  of  Women's  Division,  Council  of  National 

Defense,        ....... 

2,000  00 

1,168  24 

A-74 

Committee  on  Americanization, 

7,000  00 

1,923  31 

Influenza  Epidemic. 

A-71 

Emergency  Health  Committee  expenses  (to  date 

of  this  report),      ...... 

Totals,      ....... 

500,000  00 

141,416  29  i 

$1,144,307  14 

$666,527  61 

Correct. 

Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety, 


E.  W.  LOXGLEY, 

Treasurer. 


1  Other  expenditures,  which  make  the  total  cost  of  combating  the  epidemic  of  Spanish 
influenza  S354.219.20,  have  been  made  by  the  State  on  vouchers  approved  by  departments  other 
than  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 


527 


Report  of  Public  Auditor 

Boston,  Mass..  June  25,   1919. 

We  hereby  certify  that  the  books  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on 
Public  Safety  show  payments  received  from  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts  aggregating  $234,70-1.88,  which,  according  to  the  books 
of  the  Committee,  represent  reimbursements  of  cash  paid  for  pay  rolls 
and  emergency  payments  which  had  been  advanced  out  of  the  General 
Fund  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety. 

We  also  certify  that  we  have  seen  the  pay  rolls  for  sums  advanced  to 
Federal  employees,  amounting  to  $142,747.44,  on  which  cash  amounting 
to  $140,524.04  has  been  credited,  leaving  a  remainder  of  $2,223.40,  which 
mainly  represents  payments  for  overtime.  The  books  of  record  show  in 
account  No.  B-90  that  $703.07  of  this  amount  has  been  paid  out  of  the 
General  Fund  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety.  The 
remaining  $1,520.33  has  been  paid  from  another  source. 

We  also  certify  that  we  have  seen  receipted  vouchers  for  amounts 
reported  as  paid  from  the  High  School  Boys  Fund  and  the  Milk  Fund, 
and  that  the  cash  on  hand  in  the  Milk  Fund  has  been  verified. 

We  further  certify  that  we  have  seen  receipted  vouchers  for  amounts 
paid  out  of  the  General  Fund  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public 
Safety  amounting  to  $63,858.88,  and  that  the  cash  on  hand  appearing 
in  the  accompanying  statement  of  the  Treasurer  in  three  items,  namely, 
$32,343.31,  $5,562.26  and  $490.07,"  a  total  of  $38,395.64,  is  represented 
by  a  deposit  at  the  National  Shawmut  Bank  in  Boston,  and  we  have 
verified  the  amount  with  that  bank. 

HARVEY  S.  CHASE   &  COMPANY. 


528 


DISSOLUTION   OF  THE  COMMITTEE 

On  November  20,  1918,  nine  days  after  the  armistice 
was  declared,  a  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee 
on  Public  Safety  was  called  at  the  State  House,  and  presided 
over  by  Governor  McCall.  His  Excellency,  after  compli- 
menting the  Committee's  work,  said  in  part:  - 

The  Commonwealth  contributed  her  share  to  a  fitting  victory;  the 
victory  has  been  won,  and,  as  this  was  essentially  a  war  Committee,  it  has 
been  suggested  that  the  time  has  come  for  it  to  terminate  its  existence. 

Alluding  to  the  appointment  at  his  initiative  of  Mr. 
Storrow  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  he 
spoke  of  the  latter's  high  capacity  for  organizing  just  such 
work  as  the  Committee  had  to  do,  and  his  ability  to  estab- 
lish  it  upon  broad  and  patriotic  lines,  and  said  that  the 
result  obtained  richlv  vindicated  his  selection.  He  also 
gave  the  greatest  commendation  to  Mr.  Endicott,  speaking 
of  his  quick  and  unerring  judgment,  his  prompt  and  just 
decisions  which  commanded  the  approbation  of  everybody, 
and,  "because  of  the  way  in  which  he  has  performed  his 
duty  here,  he  rightly  takes  his  place  among  the  great  patriots 
of  Massachusetts." 

Continuing,  he  said :  — 

I  am  not  going  to  attempt  to  review  the  work  of  this  Committee.  I 
appointed  it  in  order  that  it  might  be  an  arm  of  the  Executive  Depart- 
ment, and  it  has  proven  a  mighty  arm  on  which  I  could  very  confidently 
lean.  It  has  helped  to  marshal  the  young  men  of  the  Commonwealtli. 
operating,  of  course,  with  very  many  men  outside,  with  the  members  of 
our  different  advisory  boards  and  draft  boards,  who  gave  up  their  whole 
time;  it  has  helped  also  to  marshal  the  industries  of  the  State.  It  has 
settled  by  the  hundred  industrial  disputes  between  employers  and  em- 
ployees, so  that  the  wheels  of  our  factories  have  been  kept  turning,  and  I 
think  I  can  say  without  boasting  that  there  has  been  no  State  that  has 
made  a  nobler  or  a  prompter  response  to  the  calls  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States  than  has  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  .  .  . 

529 


The  history  of  the  part  that  Massachusetts  has  played  in  the  Great 
War  would  be  imperfectly  written  if  it  did  not  have  very  much  in  it 
about  the  work  of  this  Commonwealth,  and  therefore  I  thank  you  from 
the  bottom  of  my  heart,  both  on  my  own  account  and  for  all  the  citizens 
of  the  Commonwealth,  for  what  you  have  done  to  help  keep  the  Com- 
monwealth, in  time  of  national  danger,  abreast  with  its  noblest  traditions. 

The  Governor  likewise  suggested  the  advisability  of 
selecting  a  few  members  of  the  Committee  especially  famil- 
iar with  its  activities  to  attend  to  its  unfinished  business 
and  to  wind  up  and  liquidate  its  affairs,  and  for  that  pur- 
pose appointed  the  following  to  act  as  a  Termination 
Committee :  — 

James  J.  Storrow,  Chairman. 


Charles  F.  Choate,  Jr. 
B.  Preston  Clark. 
Henry  B.  Endicott. 
Edmund  W.  Longley. 
George  H.  Lyman. 


W.  Rodman  Peabody. 
James  J.  Phelan. 
A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
John  F.  Stevens. 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 


Remarks  were  also  made  by  different  members  present, 
Mr.  Endicott  saying :  — 

You  were  the  first  Governor  in  the  United  States  to  appoint  a  Public 
Safety  Committee,  and  it  seems  particularly  fitting  that  Massachusetts 
should  be  the  first  State  to  take  steps  towards  getting  back  to  peace 
conditions.  .  .  . 

At  this  time,  Your  Excellency,  I  would  like,  if  I  may,  to  refer  to  the 
women  of  Massachusetts.  From  the  very  start  they  have  been  working 
shoulder  to  shoulder  with  us,  and  Massachusetts  may  well  be  proud  and 
pleased  with  her  women  and  with  their  leader,  Mrs.  Thayer. 

Mr.  Storrow,  addressing  the  meeting,  said  in  part:  - 

Once  in  a  while  somebody  says  he  thinks  we  have  borne  something  of 
a  burden  here,  but  I  do  not  think  any  of  us  for  one  minute  ever  looked  at 
it  in  that  way.  In  this  great  war  and  great  crisis,  if  the  men  who  have 
been  working  here  had  not  had  a  chance  to  do  something  for  the  public 
weal,  we  certainly  would  have  been  miserable.  We  have  escaped  that 
misery,  I  am  thankful  to  say,  and  I  feel,  and  I  know  that  the  rest  of  us 
feel,  great  gratitude  that  we  have  had  the  confidence  of  the  Governor 

530 


and  were  selected  by  him.  We  are  perfectly  aware  that  the  State  has 
many  other  men  who  could  have  done  just  as  well,  and  perhaps  better, 
but  the  lightning  happened  to  hit  us,  for  which  we  are  very,  very  grate- 
ful, and  have  been  every  day. 

We  are  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  created  by  the  Governor  of 
this  Commonwealth,  but  we  ought  not  to  adjourn  without  remembering 
that  our  work  has  only  been  made  possible  by  the  fact  that  in  every  town 
and  city  throughout  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  there  has  also 
been  a  Committee  on  Public  Safety,  not  directly  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor, but  generally  through  the  Committee  of  One  Hundred;  there  has 
been  this  organization  of  the  State,  which  was  the  thought  the  Governor, 
had  in  mind  when  the  idea  was  first  formulated.  It  has  not  made  any  dif- 
ference what  the  problem  was,  what  the  task  was,  what  kind  of  help  we 
wanted,  those  committees  have  jumped  to  the  front,  given  us  a  boost, 
worked  with  utmost  patriotism  and  met  every  test. 

When  we  first  began,  I  think  we  all  felt  that  our  task  was  to  or- 
ganize not  legal  machinery  but  voluntary  co-operation.  That  is  what 
we  stood  for.  The  Governor  and  Legislature  in  their  discretion  gave  us 
certain  powers.  Mr.  Endicott  as  Food  Administrator  received  certain 
Federal  powers,  and  similar  powers  were  given  to  me  as  Fuel  Adminis- 
trator. But  our  thought  all  the  time  was  that  our  work  would  not  amount 
to  anything  if  it  came  to  a  question  of  compelling  this  man  to  do  this,  or 
that  man  to  do  that.  That  form  of  procedure  has  been  entirely  absent 
from  our  thought,  and  I  think  I  may  say  with  accuracy  that  practically 
no  power  of  any  sort  or  kind  has  ever  been  used  or  needed  in  dealing  with 
the  people  of  Massachusetts  in  this  great  emergency.  We  only  had  to 
ask  this  man,  that  man,  or  all  the  men  and  women  in  the  State,  for  their 
help,  and  the  response  was  always  instantaneous. 

Mrs.  Thayer,  when  called  upon,  spoke  as  follows :- 

Your  Excellency.  I  feel  that  this  is  perhaps  a  rather  unfair  advantage 
to  take  of  the  weaker  sex,  because  I  had  no  idea  that  I  was  to  have  so 
honorable  a  part  in  these  proceedings.  But  the  only  word  I  have  to  leave 
behind  me  is  to  thank  you  from  my  heart,  because  I  think  the  women  of 
Massachusetts,  whom  I  had  to  represent  as  well  as  possible,  have  been 
given  a  very  extraordinary  chance  and  opportunity.  That  fact  I  dis- 
covered in  Washington  last  spring,  when  it  was  reported  that  only  two 
States  in  the  Union  had  come  forward  and  taken  the  women  in  on  an 
equal  footing  with  the  men  in  their  war  work;  those  two  States  being 
South  Carolina  and  Massachusetts.  It  gave  the  women  an  opportunity 
which,  I  saw  after  a  few  months,  was  so  remarkable  that  our  work  would 
have  amounted  to  but  little  without  it.     It  was  not  only  the  present 

531 


backing,  but  it  was  the  absolute  day  by  day  support,  advice  and  help, 
and  last,  but  not  least,  the  financial  backing.  I  think  the  work  as  it  has 
gone  on  has  proved,  as  we  have  stood  up  and  fought  this  big  fight, 
that  the  civilian  army  was  worth  while,  and  that  it  should  be  made 
up  of  men  and  women  together. 

But  I  have  at  this  time  simply  the  word  of  gratitude  that  the  women 
were  given  the  chance  in  Massachusetts,  so  that  there  was  this  splendid 
co-operation  of  our  organizations  and  of  the  women  individually.  There 
was  not  one  woman  who  did  not  want  to  fall  into  line,  and  there  is 
not  one  in  the  State,  I  am  sure,  who  does  not  appreciate  the  fact  that  her 
work  has  been  made  possible  by  the  Committee  on  Public  Safety  here  in 
the  State  House,  with  the  splendid  backing  and  help  you  have  given 
from  the  very  beginning. 

His  Excellency  then  declared  the  Massachusetts  Public 
Safety  Committee  to  be  dissolved. 


532 


Thus,  after  twenty-one  months  and  ten  days  of  patriotie 
service,  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety 
ceased  its  activities  as  a  unit  of  the  great  home  army, 
w  1 1 ieh,  gathered  from  every  State  of  the  Union,  had  been  the 
backbone  of  our  combat  army,  —  a  part  fighting  on  foreign 
soil,  a  part  straining  at  the  leash  and  eager  to  cross  the  seas. 

America  entered  the  lists  at  a  crucial  time.  She  stayed 
to  play  the  game,  to  do  her  duty,  to  do  her  utmost,  to  win. 
She  poured  out  her  wealth  on  the  altar  of  her  country's  flag, 
mobilized  her  vast  industries  from  sea  to  sea,  and  backed 
with  all  her  latent  strength  the  cause  for  which  she  fought. 
For  us  it  was  a  people's  war.  It  was  the  people's  cry  which 
finally  forced  the  issue,  — ■  that  people,  American  men  and 
American  women,  whose  teachings  from  infancy  were 
founded  on  the  right  to  "Life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness." 

We  can  therefore  look  back  to  that  far-off  time  when 
under  the  thirteen  stars  our  sires  won  for  us  a  glorious  lib- 
erty, and  say  that  it  was  only  right  to  expect  that  Massa- 
chusetts should  again  rally  foremost  at  the  front  when  the 
cause  of  Freedom,  of  Humanity,  of  Civilization  was  at  stake! 


533 


APPENDICES 


APPENDICES 


Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety 

Executive  Committee 


James  J.  Storrow,  Chairman. 

Charles  F.  "Weed,  Vice-Chairman. 

Edmund  W.  Longlej',  Treasurer. 

Guy  Murchie,  Secretary. 

Henry  B.  Endicott,  Executive  Man- 
ager. 

E.  Bowditch,  Jr.,  Assistant  Secre- 
tary. 

John  B.  Pierce,  Assistant  Secretary. 

Charles  S.  Baxter. 

W.  A.  L.  Bazeley. 

B.  Preston  Clark. 

Walton  A.  Green. 

Levi  H.  Greenwood. 


Robert  F.  Herrick. 
Benjamin  Joy. 
George  H.  Lyman. 
J.  Frank  O'Hare. 
W.  Rodman  Peabody. 
Gen.  Gardner  W.  Pearson  (ex  offi- 
cio). 
James  J.  Phelan. 
A.  C.  Ratshesky. 
Joseph  B.  Russell. 
Col.  Jesse  F.  Stevens  (ex  officio). 
John  F.  Stevens. 

Gen.  E.  Leroy  Sweetser  (ex  officio). 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer. 


Assistant  Executive  Managers 


W.  A.  L.  Bazeley. 
B.  Preston  Clark. 
Wallace  B.  Donham. 
Levi  H.  Greenwood. 


A.  A.  Kidder. 
E.  W.  Longley. 
James  J.  Phelan. 
A.  C.  Ratsheskv. 


Committee  on  Finance 


Col.  William  A.  Gaston,  Chairman. 

Junius  Beebe. 

C.  S.  Bird,  Jr. 

Spencer  Borden.  Jr. 

Charles  L.  Burrill. 

W.  Murray  Crane. 

Francis  H.  Dewey. 

Allan  Forbes. 

Thomas  B.  Gannett. 

W.  G.  Garritt. 

W.  E.  Gilbert. 


Joseph  H.  O'Xeil. 
Samuel  D.  Parker. 
J.  M.  Prendergast. 
Jos.  B.  Russell. 
A.  Shuman. 
Philip  Stockton. 

E.  V.  R.  Thayer. 
Geo.  R.  Wallace. 

F.  G.  Webster,  . 
John  E.  White. 
Daniel  G.  Wing. 


:,:;7 


Committee  on  Co-ordination  of  Aid  Societies 


B.  Preston  Clark,  Chairman. 
Henry  Abrahams. 
Henry  V.  Cunningham. 
Hon.  Grafton  D.  Gushing. 
David  A.  Ellis. 


John  F.  Moors. 
John  L.  Saltonstall. 
Alexander  Whiteside. 
Capt.    Porter    B.    Chase,    Military 
Representatire. 


Committee  on  Industrial  Survey 


Charles  G.  Bancroft,  Chairman. 

Howard  L.  Rogers,  Vice-Chair  man. 

Charles  F.  Gettemy,  Secretary. 

Chas.  L.  Allen. 

Edwin  P.  Brown. 

Leonard  B.  Buchanan. 

Charles  Chase. 

Howard  Coonley. 

H.  C.  Dodge. 

C.  L.  Edgar. 

Adolph  Ehrlich. 


Walter  C.  Fish. 
Edwin  F.  Gay. 
Edwin  Farnham  Greene. 
John  S.  Kent. 
Chas.  T  Main. 
F.  H.  Payne. 
Harry  G.  Stoddard. 
John  F.  Tobin. 
F.  E.  Wing. 

Capt.    Robt.   M.    Magee,   Military 
Representative. 


James  H.  Hustis,  Chairman 

H.  M.  Biscoe. 

Mat.  C.  Brush. 

C.  D.  Emmons. 

Chas.  P.  Hall. 

Walter  L.  McMenimen. 


Committee  on  Transportation 

E.  J.  Pearson. 
P.  F.  Sullivan. 
C.  V.  Wood. 


C.  Q.  Richmond. 

Maj.  Henry  B.  Knowles,  Military 
Representative. 


Committee  on  Hygiene, 

Dr.  Richard  P.  Strong,  Chairman. 

Dr.  Allan  J.  McLaughlin,  Chairman 
(later). 

Dr.  Arthur  A.  Brown,  Vice-Chair- 
man. 

Dr.  Merrill  E.  Champion,  Vice- 
Chair  man. 

Dr.  Francis  A.  Finnegan,  Vice- 
Chair  man. 

Dr.  John  S.  Hitchcock,  Vice-Chair- 
man. 

Dr.  Adam  S.  MacKnight,  Vice- 
chairman. 


A.     Streeter,     Vice- 
W.    Walcott,    Vice- 


Medicine  and  Sanitation 

Dr.  Chas.  E.  Simpson,  Vice-Chair 

man. 
Dr.     Howard 

Chairman. 
Dr.    William 

Chairman. 
Dr.  John  Bapst  Blake. 
Dr.  John  T.  Bottomley. 
Dr.  Walter  P.  Bowers. 
Dr.  Harvey  Cushing. 
Dr.  David  L.  Edsall. 
Dr.  Henry  Ehrlich. 
Dr.  C.  W.  Elliott. 


538 


Committee  on  Hygiene,  etc. —  Continued 


Dr.  Homer  Gage. 

Dr.  Reid  Hunt. 

Dr.  George  M.  Klein. 

Louis  K.  Liggett. 

Dr.  Franeis  X.  Mahoney 

Edwin  Mulrcady. 

Dr.  Milton  J.  Rosenau. 


Prof.  Wm.  T.  Sedgwick. 

Dr.  Ralph  Seelyc. 
Dr.  Paul  Thorndike. 
Prof.  George  C.  Whipple. 
Dr.  Frank  P.  Williams. 
Dr.  Frank  A.  Woods. 
Dr.  Samuel  B.  Woodward. 


Committee  on  Federal  and  State  Legislation 


W.  Rodman  Peabody,  Chairman. 
Edmund  K.  Arnold. 
Charles  L.  Barlow. 
Malcolm  Donald. 
J.  Wells  Farlev. 


Donald  Gordon. 
Prof.  Arthur  D.  Hill. 
John  G.  Palfrey. 
Robert  L.  Raymond. 
James  P.  Richardson. 


Committee  on  Food  Production  and  Conservation 


K.  L.  Butterfield,  Chairman. 
John  D.  Willard,  Secretary. 
Austin  D.  Kilham,  Secretary  (later). 
Philip  Allen. 
H.  F.  Arnold. 
Reginald  W.  Bird. 
Nathaniel  I.  Bowditch. 
Joshua  L.  Brooks. 
Warren  C.  Jewett. 


M.  Ernest  Moore. 
Evan  F.  Richardson. 
C.  D.  Richardson. 
Henry  Sterling. 
Glenn  C.  Sevey. 
Leslie  R.  Smith. 
Payson  Smith. 
Marcus  L.  Urann. 
Wilfrid  Wheeler. 


Louis  E.  Kirstein,  Chairman. 
Louis  A.  Coolidge. 
Thomas  J.  Feeney. 
John  F.  O'Connell. 
William  S.  O'Connor. 


Committee  on  Publicity 
Maj.    Harry 


G.    Chase,    Military 
Representative. 

Chaplain  Lyman  Rollins,  Military 
Hi  preventative. 


Committee  on  Land  Forces 


Gen.  Charles  H.  Cole,  Chairman. 
J.    Franklin    McElwain,    Chairman 

(later). 
Gen.  Butler  Ames. 


Hon.  W.  Cameron  Forbes. 
W.  B.  Donham. 
J.  Lovell  Johnson. 
W.  B.  Stearns. 


539 


Committee  on  State  Protection 


Edwin  U.  Curtis,  Chairman. 

Gen.  Butler  Ames. 

Chas.  W.  Bosworth. 

John  S.  Caldwell. 

John  W.  Cunimings. 

A.  B.  Daniels. 

H.  I.  Harriman. 


James  Logan. 

Dana  Malone. 

Samuel  D.  Parker. 

Maj.  Holton  B.  Perkins,  Military 

Representative. 
Lieut.  Edwin  M.   Brush,  Military 

Representative. 


Committee  on  Naval  Forces 


Rob't  W.  Emmons,  2d,  Chairman. 
Brooks    Frothingham,    Vice-Chair- 
man . 
Ernest  G.  Adams. 
N.  F.  Ayer. 
John  G.  Crowley. 
Charles  K.  Cunimings. 
Arthur  B.  Denny. 
G.  R.  Fearing,  Jr. 


Robert  F.  Herrick. 
Charles  Hamilton  Parker. 
James  Otis  Porter. 
John  H.  Proctor. 
Richard  S.  Russell. 
William  H.  Seabury. 
Clifford  L.  Webster. 
Com.    James    P.    Parker,    Military 
Representative. 


Committee  on  Military  Equipment  and  Supplies 


Elwyn  G.  Preston,  Chairman. 

Thomas  P.  Beal,  Jr. 

Jacob  F.  Brown. 

John  Calder. 

Albert  Greene  Duncan. 

Edward  J.  Frost. 


Chas.  H.  Jones. 
Louis  K.  Liggett. 
Jesse  P.  Lyman. 
Michael  V.  Martin. 
John  Moir. 
James  L.  Richards. 


Committee  on  Emergency  Help  and  Equipment 


Charles  R.  Gow,  Chairman. 

Harold  L.  Bond. 

E.  J.  Cross. 

H.  P.  Cummings. 

Geo.  H.  Dresser. 

Chas.  E.  Godfrey .- 

Arthur  M.  Huddell. 

Leo  Ley. 

Hugh  Nawn. 


Capt.  M.  D.  Nickerson. 
Michael  S.  O'Riorden. 
John  A.  Peabody. 
J.  J.  Prindeville. 
James  W.  Rollins. 
Jeremiah  A.  Sullivan. 
Antonio  G.  Tomasello. 
Morton  G.  Tuttle. 
George  H.  Wrenn. 


540 


Committee  on  Mobilization  and  Concentration  Camps 


Gen.  Wm.  A.  Pew,  Chairman. 
Wm.A.L.Bazeley,  Acting  Chair  num. 
Dwight  E.  Brigham. 
X.  H.  Goodenougli. 
Josepli  R.  Hebblewaite. 
E.  E.  Lockridge. 
L.  deB.  Lovett. 
Frank  H.  McCarthy. 


Dr.  Allan  J.  McLaughlin. 

C.  F.  Gourley. 

Col.  Win.  B.  Emery,  Military  Rep- 
resentative. 

Maj.  Christopher  Harrison,  Mil- 
itary Representative. 

Maj.  Henry  B.  Knowles,  Military 
Representative. 


Committee  on  Horses 


T.  G.  Frothingham,  Chairman. 
Arnold  Lawson. 
Dr.  Arthur  W.  May. 


Harry  P.  Nawn,  Sr. 
John  T.  Wheelwright. 


Committee  on  Trucks  and  Motor  Cars 


Chester  I.  Campbell,  Chairman. 
Roy  D.  Jones,  Chairman  (later). 
Carl  T.  Keller,  Chairman  (later). 
Francis  Hurtubis,  Jr.,   Vice-Chair- 
man. 
William  T.  McCracken,  Secretary. 
Harry  D.  Carter. 


F.  P.  Daly. 
Allan  Forbes. 
Arthur  M.  Huddell. 
Capt.  Josiah  S.  Hathaway 
Fred  C.  Munroe. 
Richard  B.  Stanley. 


Committee  on  Recruiting 
Executive  Committee 


P.  A.  O'Connell,  Chairman. 

John  L.  Bates,  Vice-Chair  man. 

W.  L.  Glidden,  Vice-Chair  man. 

Michael  J.  Murray,  V ice-Chairman. 

Edw.  J.  Sampson,  Secretary. 

George  E.  Adams. 

Capt.  C.  Lawrence  Barry. 

Charles  S.  Baxter. 

Col.  Stanhope  E.  Blunt. 

Chandler  Bullock. 

Abraham  K.  Cohen. 

Marcus  A.  Coolidge. 

Dr.  John  W.  Coughlin. 

R.  Osborne  Dal  ton. 

R.  C.  Davis. 

Col.  Jenness  K.  Dexter. 


William  H.  Feiker. 
John  W.  Haigis. 
Eugene  C.  Hultman. 
Herbert  E.  Jennison. 
George  N.  Jeppson. 
Eben  S.  S.  Keith. 
John  P.  Meade. 
Joseph  Monette. 
James  R.  Nicholson. 
John  Nicholson. 
C.  A.  Pastene. 
James  F.  Phelan. 
George  S.  Smith. 
Harry  W.  Smith. 
Perry  D.  Thompson. 
Charles  A.  Williamson. 


Note.  —  Executive  Committee  as  originally  formed, 
bers  appointed  throughout  State  from  time  to  time. 


Additional  mem- 


o41 


Committee  on  Home  Guards 


Gen.  John  J.  Sullivan,  Chairman. 
Samuel  D.  Parker,  V ice-Chairman. 
Capt.  S.  W.  Sleeper,  Vice-Chairman. 
Ernest  G.  Adams. 
Robert  T.  Allen. 
John  T.  Burnett. 


Fred  Knight. 
Frederick  Parks. 
Herbert  Parker. 
Robert  E.  Stone. 
Capt.    Porter    B. 
Representative. 


Chase,    Military 


Chairmen  of  Public  Safety  Committees  in  Cities  and 
Towns  in  Massachusetts 


Abington, 

Aeton, 

Acushnet, 

Adams, 

Alford,       . 

Agawam,  . 

Amesbury, 

Amherst,  . 

Andover,  . 
Arlington, 
Ashburnham, 
Ashby, 
Ashfield,    . 
Ashland,    . 

Athol, 

Attleboro, 
Ayer, 

Barnstable, 

Barre, 

Bedford,    . 

Belehertown, 

Bellingham  and  North 

Belmont, 

Berkley. 

Beverly, 

Billerica, 
Bolton, 

Boston, 


Bellingham, 


Dr.  F.  G.  Wheatley. 

Allen  B.  Parker. 

Emery  E.  Cushman. 

Dr.  A.  K.  Boom. 

John  M.  Dellea. 

James  W.  Moore. 

Col.  E.  W.  N.  Bailey. 

E.  M.  Whitcomb. 

S.  Paul  Jefferson  (later) 

Hon.  John  N.  Cole. 

Horatio  A.  Phinney. 

C.  A.  Hubbell. 

Rev.  E.  S.  Treworgy. 

Charles  A.  Hall. 

George  G.  Tidsbury. 
j  F.  A.  Ball. 
\W.  W.Woodward  (later). 

George  H.  Sykes. 

George  H.  Brown. 

Raymond  A.  Hopkins. 

John  S.  Rice. 

George  H.  Blinn. 

T.  D.  Walker. 

M.  J.  Kennedy. 

Torrance  Parker. 

Joseph  Howland. 

James  W.  McPherson. 

Prescott  L.  Pasho. 

Thomas  F.  Sheridan  (later). 

Harry  W.  Butts. 

Admiral  Francis  T.  Bowles. 

Major  Patrick  F.  O'Keefe  (later) 

Victor  A.  Heath  (later). 


542 


Bourne 

Boxf ord .    . 

Boylston, 

Braintree, 

Brewster, 

Bridgewater, 

Brimfield, 

Brockton, 

Brookfleld, 

Brookline, 

Burlington, 


Eben  S.  S.  Keith. 

Edward  E.  Pearl. 

Peter  Stewart. 

Benjamin  H.  Woodsum. 

Dr.  L.  A.  Crocker. 

Robert  W.  McLean. 

Orrin  Hieks. 
J  John  S.  Kent. 
[William  L.  Gleason  (later). 

A.  F.  Butterworth. 

Philip  S.  Parker. 

Horace  B.  Skelton. 


,  Walter  C   Wardell. 
Cambridge,       .        .  •  \  J.  Frank  Facey  (later). 

Canton H.  Ware  Barnum. 

Carver, Ellis  G.  Cornish. 

Charlemont, Charles  E.  Graves. 

Charlton, E.  A.  Lamb. 

Chatham, Heman  A.  Harding. 

Chelmsford, WTalter  Perham. 

J  Joseph  M.  Riley. 
Chelsea'    •  '        "  I  Edward  E.  Wiliard  (later). 

Cheshire, George  A.  Reynolds. 

Chester, Charles  T.  Purse. 

Chesterfield, Charles  M.  Drake. 

.  f  Hon.  D.  J.  Coakley. 

Chicopee,  .        .        .  •  [  N.P.Ames  Carter  (later). 

Chilmark, Henry  H.  Allen. 

Clinton,     .        .        .        .     -  .        .        .  Edward  G.  Osgood. 

Cohasset, Harry  E.  Mapes. 

Colrain, Rev.  Harvey  M.  Eastman. 

Concord, Murray  Ballon. 

Conway, Edward  Affahauser. 

Cummington, Milton  S.  Howes. 

Dalton, Thomas  H.  Mooney. 

Anthony  Mason. 
'  \  Moses  Nolette  (later). 

Dan  vers, Walter  T.  Creese. 

Dartmouth  and  North  Dartmouth,     .     Elmer  M.  Poole. 
Dedham  and  Westwood,        .        .        .     George  E.  Hall. 

Deerfield, Philip  Ball. 

Dennis, James  H.  Jenks,  Jr . 

543 


Dighton,   . 
Dover, 
Dracut, 
Dudley.     . 
Duxbury, 


George  B.  Glidden. 
Augustin  H.  Parker. 
George  H.  Stevens. 
Edgar  Hill. 
Alfred  E.  Green. 


East  Bridgewater, 

Eastham, 

Easthampton, 

Easton, 

Edgartown, 

Egremont, 

Enfield,     . 

Essex, 


Ezra  S.  Whitmarsh. 
Nathan  P.  Clark. 
John  H.  Cullen. 
John  S.  Ames. 
B.  T.  Hillman. 
George  Peek. 
Dr.  W.  B.  Segur. 
Albion  Riggs. 
Charles  Bruce  (later). 


Fairhaven, 
Fall  River, 
Falmouth, 
Fitchburg, 
Florida,     . 
Foxborough , 
Framingham, 
Franklin, 
Freetown, 


W.  Fred  Delano. 
Robert  C.  Davis. 
George  W.  Jones. 
George  R.  Wallace. 
Fred  R.  Whitcomb. 
Orlando  C.  McKenzie. 
Theo.  F.  Rice. 
H.  W.  Hosie. 
Harris  E.  Chace. 


Gardner, Fred  L.  Butler. 

Gay  Head, L.  X-.  Vanderhoop. 

Georgetown, William  Bray. 

Gill, Charles  O.  Bruce. 

Gloucester, T.  J.  Carroll. 

Goshen, George  L.  Barrus. 

Grafton, Francis  Prescott. 

Granby, George  F.  Eastman. 

Great  Barrington, Harry  Douglas. 

Greenfield, Joseph  W.  Stevens. 

Greenwich, George  B.  Loux. 

j  Walter  S.  Hinchman. 

Groton'     •  •  \  Frank  L.  Blood  (later). 

Groveland, George  Mitchell. 

Hadley, Frank  H.  Smith. 

Halifax, William  B.  Wood. 


544 


Hamilton,  South  Hamilton  and  Wen 
ham, 

Hampden, 

Hancock,  . 

Hanover,  . 

Hanson  and  South  Hanson, 

Hardwick, 

Harvard,  . 

Harwich,  . 
Haverhill, 
H&wley,    . 
Hingham, 

Hinsdale, 

Holbrook, 
Holden,     . 
Holliston, 
Holyoke,  . 
Hopkinton, 
Hudson,    . 
Hull, 
Hyannis,  . 

Ipswich,    . 

Kingston, 

Lancaster, 

Lawrence, 

Lee,   . 

Leicester, 

Lenox, 

Leominster, 

Lexington, 

Littleton, 

Longmeadow, 

Lowell, 

Ludlow,     . 
Lunenberg, 
Lynn, 
Lynnfield, 


E.  R.  Anderson. 
John  Q.  Adams. 

Rev.  R.  B.  Lisle  (later). 

D.  L.  Whitman. 
C.  J.  Ellis. 

F.  W.  Howland. 
R.  D.  Lull. 

[  Henry  H.  Putnam. 

[  Lyman  M.  Morse  (later). 

Thomas  H.  Nickerson. 

Hon.  Leslie  K.  Morse. 

H.  C.  Dodge. 

"William  L.  Foster. 
j  Dr.  AY.  L.  Tucker. 
[  G.  T.  Plunkett  (later). 

A.  T.  Southworth. 

Jefferson  W.  Coe. 

W.  P.  Kingsbury. 

John  J.  White. 

Edward  Carr. 

E.  W.  Dunbar. 
Dr.  W.  H.  Sturgis. 
C.  W.  Megathlin. 

Frank  W.  Keyes. 

Walter  H.  Faunce. 

John  E.  Thayer. 
John  J.  Hurley. 
Wellington  Smith. 

F.  Lincoln  Powers. 
George  W.  Ferguson. 
Frank  S.  Farnsworth. 
Alfred  Pierce. 

F.  B.  Priest. 
William  K.  Davis. 
James  E.  O'Donnell. 
Perry  D.  Thompson  (later). 
M.  T.  Kane. 
Edwin  C.  Smith. 
Ralph  W.  Reeve. 
William  Walden. 


545 


Maiden,    . 

Manchester, 

Mansfield, 

Marblehead, 

Marion,     . 
Marlborough, 
Marshfield, 
Mashpee, 

Mattapoisett, 

Maynard, 

Medfield,  . 

Medford,  . 
Medway,  . 
Melrose,  . 
Merrimac, 

Methuen, 

Middleborough, 

Middleton, 

Milford,     . 

Millbury, 

Millis,  '    . 

Milton,      . 

Monson,    . 

Montague, 

Monterey, 

Mount  Washington, 

Nahant,    . 

Nantucket, 

Natick, 

Needham, 

New  Bedford,  . 
New  Braintree, 
New  Marlborough, 
Newburyport, 
Newton,    . 
Norfolk,    . 
North  Adams, 


.     Charles  M.  Blodgett. 
f  Rev.  A.  G.  Warner. 
{  Raymond  C.  Allen  (later). 

Daniel  C.  Richardson. 
f  Greeley  C.  Allen. 
\  Herbert  C.  Humphrey  (later). 

George  B.  Crapo. 

Charles  W.  Curtis. 

William  L.  Sprague. 

Edmund  B.  Amos. 

L.  W.'  Jenney. 

Arthur  J.  Coughlin. 

Horace  F.  Bates  (later). 

William  G.  Perry. 

Granville  C.  Mitchell  (later). 

Irwin  O.  Wright. 

W.  W.  Ollendorf. 

John  C.  F.  Slay  ton. 

James  W.  Bailey. 

W.  L.  Stedman. 

Samuel  Rushton  (later). 

Bourne  Wood. 

Maurice  E.  Tyler. 

John  C.  Lynch. 

Fred  W.  Moore. 

R.  W.  Mann. 

James  S.  Russell. 

F.  K.  Gamble. 

A.  J.  Nims. 

George  L.  Keyes. 

A.  I.  Spurr. 


H.  C.  Wilson. 

Stillman  C.  Cash. 

George  C.  Fairbanks. 

Judge  Emery  Grover. 

James  M.  McCracken  (later). 

Thomas  S.  Hathaway. 

W.  E.  Loftus. 

Dr.  R.  C.  Sellow. 

Fred  E.  Smith. 

William  F.  Garcelon. 

William  M.  Gallagher. 

E.  D.  Whitaker. 


54G 


North  Andover, 


North  Attlcborough, 

North  Brookfield, 
North  Reading, 
Northampton, 
Northborough, 
Northbridge, 
Northfield, 
Norton,     . 
Norwcll,    . 
Norwood,  . 
Oak  Bluffs, 
Oakham,   . 
Orange, 
Orleans,     . 
Osterville, 
Oxford, 

Palmer, 

Paxton, 

Peabody,  . 

Pembroke, 

Pepperell, 

Petersham, 

Phillipston, 

Pittsfield, 

Plainville, 

Plymouth, 
Plympton, 
Prescott,  . 
Princeton, 
Provincetown, 


Samuel  D.  Stevens. 

Charles  D.  Pave 

Dr.  Joseph  B.  Gerould  (later). 

E.  D.  Corbin. 

Herbert  D.  Wilson. 

John  J.  Kennedy  (Secretary). 

Dr.  J.  L.  Coffin.' 

J.  M.  Lassell. 

Dr.  N.  P.  Wood. 

George  C.  Haskell. 

Frank  W.  Jones. 

Herbert  M.  Plimpton. 

Fred  W.  Smith. 

John  P.  Day. 

Hon.  E.  S.  Hall. 

Edgar  H.  Upham. 

G.  W.  Hallett. 

Charles  N.  Turner. 

Harold  W.  Brainerd. 
Henry  H.  Pike. 
Louis  P.  P.  Osborne. 
Edgar  C.  Thayer. 
Charles  H.  Miller. 
W.  S.  McNutt. 
James  H.  Hutchings. 
Arthur  W.  Eaton. 
Rufus  King. 
Millard  S.  Rines  (later). 
Arthur  Lord. 
Fred  W.  Dennett. 
W.  M.  Waugh. 
Fred  W.  Bryant. 
W.  H.  Young. 


.  J  Joseph  L.  Wliiton. 

Qumcy*     •  \  H.  L.  Kincaide  (later). 

Randolph, Joseph  Belcher. 

J  Sinare  Beaulieu. 
'  '  |  Fred  Rogers  (later). 

Reading, Captain  Frank  Gray. 

Rehoboth, Ellery  L.  Goff. 

Revere, Alfred  S.  Hall. 


547 


Richmond, "William  H.  Sherrill. 

Rochester, L.  C.  Humphrey. 

Rockland, Elvin  T.  Wright. 

Rockport, Frederick  H.  Tarr. 

Rowe, Henry  D.  Wright. 

Rowley, Joseph  N.  Dummer. 

Royalston, Charles  H.  Brown. 

Russell  (Woronoco),  .        .        .  E.  D.  Parks. 

Rutland, Walter  A.  Wheeler. 

Salem, Arthur  H.  Phippen. 

Salisbury, John  Q.  Evans. 

Sandisfield, Thomas  Fox. 

Sandwich, Charles  E.  Brady. 

Saugus, William  O.  Bursch. 

Savoy, William  E.  Cain. 

Scituate, Walter  Haynes. 

Seekonk> George  F.  Carpenter. 

Sharon, Robert  G.  Morse. 

Sheffield,  ...  .  Rev.  Stanley  Cummings. 

,  J.  W.  Thurber. 
bnelburne, 


C.  L.  Upton  (later). 

;  Henry  M.  Channing. 

'  \  Arron  C.  Dowse  (later). 

„,  ,  J  W.  H.  Chamberlain. 

Shrewsbury,      .  .  j  j^  R  ^  ^^ 

Somerset, Adam  W.  Gifford. 

Somerville, Hon.  Charles  V.  Blanchard. 

South  Hadley, Fred  M.  Smith. 

Southbridge, John  E.  Paige. 

Southborough,  .        .        .  _ .     R.  H.  Overson,  Jr. 

Southwick, H.  L.  Miller. 

Spencer, N.  C.  Bryant. 

Sterling, John  P.  Mitchell. 

Stockbridge, William  Lynch. 

Stoneham,        .        .        .  .        .     George  R.  Barnstead. 

0         .  J  Ira  F.  Burnham. 

St0Ught0n'  •  J  William  Curtis  (later). 

Stow, Charles  A.  Hearsey. 

Sturbridge, William  H.  Hinman,  Jr. 

Courtenay  Crocker. 
Sudbury j  Charles  H.  W.  Way  (later). 

W.  H.  Fairbanks  (later). 
Sutton, S.  Martin  Shaw. 

548 


Swampscott, Henry  S.  Baldwin. 

Swansea, A.  W.  Weaver. 

Taunton, William  J.  Flood. 

Templeton, Harvey  0.  Winch. 

Tewksbury, Irving  F.  French. 

Tisbury, William  J.  Look. 

Tolland, J.  R.  Rogers. 

Topsfield, James  D.  Phillips. 

Townsend, F.  B.  Higgins. 

f  Thomas  H.  Peters. 
Truro'       •        •                        •                •  \  Manuel  Corey  (later). 
Tyringham, Charles  H.  Hale. 


Upton,       .......     I.  Plummer  Taft 

Harry  B.  Stearns 
Uxbridge, 


D.  H.  Reese  (later). 
Charles  A.  Root  (later). 


Wakefield, Charles  E.  Walton. 

Wales, Harry  B.  Weaver. 

J  Louis  R.  Vose. 

WalP°le' \  Waldo  R.  Pratt  (later). 

Waltham, John  M.  Gibbs. 

Ware, Henry  C.  Davis. 

Wareham, Lewis  H.  Bullard. 

Warren,     .        .        .        .  .        .  E.  D.  Sullivan. 

Warwick, 0.  W.  Cole. 

Watertown, William  P.  McGuire  (Executive 

Manager). 

Webster, George  J.  Brunnell. 

Wellesley, John  W.  Edmunds. 

Wellfleet Dr.  Clarence  J.  Bell. 

Wenham, D.  R.  Anderson. 

West  Boylston, Charles  E.  Burbank. 

West  Bridgewater,  ....  Charles  P.  Kendall. 

West  Brookfield, Dwight  Fairbanks. 

West  Hanover C.  J.  Ellis. 

West  Medway, W.  W.  Ollendorf. 

West  Newbury Robert  L.  Brown. 

West  Springfield, Walter  S.  Barr. 

AYest  Tisbury, Ulysses  E.  Mayhew. 

549 


Westborough, John  W.  Slattery. 

Westford, Oscar  R.  Spaulding. 

Westhampton,  .        .        .        .  Francis  A.  Loud. 

Westminster, Hobart  Raymond. 

Weston, Dr.  Fresnius  Van  Nuys. 

Westport, Rev.  H.  H.  Crawford. 

Weymouth, Arthur  C.  Heald. 

Whately, Montvillc  L.  Crafts. 

Whitman, James  P.  Kirby. 

Wilbraham, F.  A.  Warren. 

Williamsburg, Wilbur  M.  Purrington. 

Williamstown, S.  P.  Blagden. 

Wilmington, Charles  C.  Alden. 

Winchendon,    .        .        .        .        .        .  William  M.  Whitney. 

Winchester, Lewis  Parkhurst. 

Winthrop, Elmer  E.  Dawson. 

Woburn, Leonard  B.  Buchanan. 

Worcester, Dr.  Ira  N.  Hollis. 

Worthington, H.  S.  Cole. 

Wrentham, George  L.  Dodd. 


Yarmouth, 


Thatcher  T.  Hallett. 


New  England  Sawmill  Units 

Statement  of  Receipts  and  Expenditures  in  Connection  with 
Equipping  and  Despatching  over  350  Men,  122  Horses  and 
10  Portable  Sawmills  from  New  England  to  Old  England, 
June  15,  1917 

Receipts 

Commonwealth  of  Connecticut,  .... 

Commonwealth  of  Maine,  .        .        . s      . 

Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,      .... 
Commonwealth  of  New  Hampshire, 
Commonwealth  of  Rhode  Island,       .... 

Commonwealth  of  Vermont, 

Massachusetts  Committee  on  Public  Safety  (from  its 

raised  by  public  subscriptions),  .... 
Seventy-seven  firms,  corporations  and  individuals, 
Interest  on  bank  deposit, 


funds 


$12,000 

00 

12,000 

00 

12,000 

00 

12,000 

00 

6,200 

00 

12,000 

00 

12,017 

47 

52,975 

00 

14 

50 

$131,206  97 

550 


Expenditures 

Portable  mills  and  equipment, 

Horses  and  equipment, 

Logging  camp  equipment, 

Clothing,  shoes,  etc.,  for  millmen  and  woodsmen,  . 

Packing  and  storage, 

Passport  expenses, 

Transportation, 

Express,  freight  and  trucking, 

Miscellaneous, •     . 


$4.3,084  GO 

43,494  74 

25,245  57 

0,708  08 

1,932  56 

021  00 

1,732  00 

2,011  38 

3,715  84 


List  of 

10  'portable  sawmills. 

2  sawmills. 
Spare  parts. 

1  power  plant. 
10  sides  lace  leather. 
200  sheets  galvanized. 
Belting  and  lacing. 

1  model  T  runabout. 

3  blowers  and  1  fan. 

Steam   boiler,   steam   engine,   tools 

and  equipment. 
43  saws,  points,  tools,  etc. 
5  2-horsepower  engines  and  parts. 
Engine,  boiler  and  spare  parts. 
Oil  and  grease. 
1,404  shanks. 
Packing  cement,  etc. 
Belting. 
Boxes. 

Boiler  and  engine. 
Pipe,  tools,  etc. 
Blocks,  jacks,  tools,  etc. 

2  coils  3-inch  Manila  rope. 
Nails,  wire  netting,  tools,  etc. 
Smokestack,  grates,  etc. 
Horse  housings,  poles,  tents,  etc. 
122  horses. 

Harnesses,  etc. 

20  dozen  halter  ropes. 

2  sets  express  harness. 

Collars,  blankets,  harnesses,  etc. 

Currycombs,  measures,  lanterns,  etc. 


.    $131,200  97 
Equipment 

10  units  of  horse  medicine. 

Tents,  blankets,  spreads,  flags,  etc. 

10  first-aid  cabinets,  etc. 

Tools. 

Axes  and  cant  dogs. 

150  bars. 

30  farm  handy  trucks. 

Chains,  yokes,  trees  and  hooks. 

Extinguishers,  pumps,  etc. 

50  stoves,  cooking  utensils,  etc. 

Gears,  boxes,  seats  and  brakes. 

4  log  trucks,  rebuilt  and  ironed. 
200  saws,  files,  etc. 
32  swages. 

5  houses,  special  truck. 
200  fire-extinguisher  charges. 
Remodeled  lumber  wagon. 
180  mats,  45  bales. 
Horseshoes,     chains,     tools,     neck 

yokes,  tool  chests,  etc. 

300  pairs  men's  shoes  and  lacings. 

90  dozen  shirts,  22|  dozen  sweaters, 
drawers. 

00  dozen  socks,  hats,  handker- 
chiefs. 

15  dozen  oil  coats,  etc. 

28£  dozen  duck  pants. 

13. h  dozen  oil  coats,  and  other  cloth- 
ing and  miscellany. 

Twine. 

Flag  bows. 

Stationery. 


551 


Recreational  Equipment  and  Library  Privilege 

Recreation  Equipment  located  in  the  Farm  Camps  for  High  School 

Boys 

September  1,1917 

Phonographs, 16 

Records  (20  in  a  box),        .        .       ' 17 

Phonograph  needles, 7,500 

Checker  games, 48 

Chess  games, 21 

Checker  boards, 67 

Dominoes, 25 

Quoits, 21 

Playground  bats, 22 

Playground  balls, 19 

Flags  (5x7), 10 

Baseball  bats, 22 

Baseballs, 44 

Baseball  gloves, 22 

Basket  balls, 1 

Additional  games, 3 

Pathescope, $175  00 

Screens, $12  50 

Exchange  service  on  reels, $50  00 

September  1,  1918 

Baseballs, 160 

Baseball  bats, 85 

Catchers'  gloves,  masks  and  protectors,          .....  38 

Volley  ball  and  net, 1 

Footballs, 3 

Tennis  balls, 6 

Phonographs, 19 

Records, 749 

Phonograph  needles, 5,200 

Checker  sets, 61 

Checker  boards, 58 

Sets  of  dominoes, 62 

American  flags, 18 

Envelopes, •              .                .        .        .        .  16,500 

Sheets  of  writing  paper, 32,500 

Moving-picture  machines  and  accessories, 5 

Batteries, 2 

Feet  of  film, 360,000 

Note.  —  The  first  fourteen  items  were  supplied  by  the  National 
War  AVork  .Council;  the  last  four,  by  the  State  Executive  Committee, 
Y.  M.  C.  A. 

552 


Camp  Activities 

Ball  games, .                 ...  119 

Athletic  contests, 33 

Number  of  camp  social  events, 56 

Boys  participating  in  community  social  events,    ....  638 

Number  of  addresses, 73 

Number  of  visits  to  Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings  and  .swimming  pools,  .  1.14.3 

Number  of  moving-picture  shows, 101 

Number   of  farmers,   helpers   and    neighbors    attending   camp 

movies, 3,500 

Number  of  visits  by  supervisors  to  boys  on  individual  farms,    .  389 

Number  of  visits  by  welfare  director  to  camps,     ....  210 

Number  of  visits  by  welfare  director  to  farmers,           ...  52 

Mileage  covered  by  auto, 9,923 

Mileage  covered  by  rail, 2,635 

Fourth  of  July  celebration  and  parade, 1 

Memorial  Day  celebration  and  parade, 1 

Camp  minstrel  shows, 3 

Attended  minstrel  shows, 900 

Library    Privileges    extended    to    Camps    for    Mobilizing 
School  Boys  for  Farm  Service 

The  Free  Public  Library  Commission  of  the  State  has  furnished 
nine  loan  libraries  in  units  of  30  books  for  camps  which  could  not 
be  supplied  locally.  The  camps  have  been  provided  with  library 
privileges  in  the  following  manner:  — 

Bolton,  Camp  Me-L-Ev:  Boys  borrow  books  on  cards  from  Public 
Library,  Bolton. 

Concord,  Camp  Thomas:  Library  of  30  books,  Free  Public  Library 
Commission. 

Egypt,  Camp  Lawson:   Boys  have  use  of  library  on  estate. 

Essex,  Camp  Storrow:  Library  of  30  books,  Free  Public  Library  Com- 
mission. 

Groton,  Camp  Groton:  Boys  borrow  books  on  cards  from  Public  Library, 
Groton. 

Ipswich,  Turner  Hill  Camp:  Library  supplied  by  Public  Library,  Ipswich. 

Lenox,  Camp  Crane:   Library  supplied  by  Public  Library,  Lenox. 

Marblehead.  Gamp  Davis:  Two  libraries  of  30  books,  Free  Public 
Library  Commission. 

Plymouth,  Camp  Chilton:  Doubtful. 

South  Acton,  Camp  Huntington:  Library  of  30  books,  Free  Public 
Library  Commission. 

Stockbridge,  Camp  Riggs:   Library  supplied  by  Public  Library,  Lenox. 

553 


Topsfield,  Camp  Topsfield:    Library  of  30  books,  Free  Public  Library 

Commission. 
Walpole,  N.  H.,  Camp  Newton:    Library  supplied  by  Newton  Public 

Library. 

Massachusetts  Halifax  Health  Commission 

An  Act  to  incorporate  the  Massachusetts  Halifax  Health 

Commission 

Whereas,  The  explosion  in  Halifax  Harbor  on  the  sixth  day  of 
December,  1917,  not  only  caused  heavy  loss  of  life  and  personal 
injury,  but  also  produced  conditions  which  seriously  menaced 
the  general  public  health  of  the  city  of  Halifax  and  the  town  of 
Dartmouth;  and 

Whereas,  The  people  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts  have  gen- 
erously contributed  in  services,  money  and  materials  to  the  relief 
and  rehabilitation  of  Halifax  and  Dartmouth,  and  in  addition  to 
the  gifts  already  made  have  expressed  through  their  agents,  the 
Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief  Committee,  a  desire  to  give  further 
assistance  in  the  restoration  and  improvement  of  the  sanitary  con- 
ditions of  Halifax  and  Dartmouth  and  other  districts  affected  by 
the  explosion,  and  the  health  of  the  inhabitants;  and 

Whereas,  As  a  result  of  careful  investigation  and  expert  advice 
it  has  been  determined  by  the  said  Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief 
Committee  to  carry  out  a  definite  program  for  the  said  purposes 
in  co-operation  with  the  Halifax  Relief  Commission,  the  Province 
of  Nova  Scotia  and  the  city  of  Halifax,  which  shall  involve  the 
expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money,  and  it  is  considered  advisable 
to  incorporate  a  Commission  with  proper  power  and  authority 
for  said  purposes  to  work  in  conjunction  with  the  provincial  de- 
partment of  health,  the  boards  of  health  of  the  city  of  Halifax  and 
the  town  of  Dartmouth,  the  Halifax  Relief  Commission  and  other 
constituted  authorities;  and 

Whereas,  The  proposed  program  and  contributions  have  been 
heartily  appreciated  and  endorsed  by  various  public  bodies  rep- 
resenting the  people  of  Halifax  and  Dartmouth; 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Governor,  Council  and  Assembly  as  follows:  — 

1.  In  this  act,  unless  the  context  otherwise  requires:  — 

(a)  The  term  "Commission"  means  the  Massachusetts  Hali- 
fax Health  Commission. 


55-i 


(b)  The  word  "person"  shall  include  persons,  firms  or  private, 
public  or  municipal  corporations. 

2.  There  shall  be  constituted  the  Massachusetts  Halifax  Health 
Commission,  composed  of  the  provincial  health  officer  for  the 
time  being;  the  chairman  of  the  board  of  health  of  the  city  of 
Halifax  for  the  time  being;  the  medical  health  officer  of  the  town 
of  Dartmouth  for  the  time  being;  two  members  appointed  by  the 
Halifax  Relief  Commission;  and  four  members  appointed  by  the 
Massachusetts  Halifax  Relief  Committee,  each  for  a  term  of  two 
years.  Such  Commission  shall  be  a  body  corporate  under  the  name 
of  the  Massachusetts  Halifax  Health  Commission,  and  by  that 
na^ne  shall  have  perpetual  succession  and  a  common  seal. 

^?.  The  Provincial  Health  Officer  for  the  time  being,  the  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  health  of  the  city  of  Halifax  for  the  time 
being,  and  the  medical  health  officer  of  the  town  of  Dartmouth  for 
the  time  being,  shall  be  members  of  the  Commission  by  virtue  of 
their  respective  offices. 

If  a  vacancy  occurs  in  the  Commission  by  the  death,  resigna- 
tion or  removal  of  any  of  the  other  members  of  the  Commission, 
the  successor  of  such  member  shall  be  appointed  by  the  body  which 
appointed  him. 

4.  The  Commission  shall  elect  a  chairman  from  among  its 
members  and  also  a  vice-chairman,  who,  in  the  absence  of  the 
chairman,  shall  exercise  all  the  functions  of  the  chairman. 

5.  The  Commission  may  appoint  a  secretary  who  shall  under- 
take the  correspondence  of  the  Commission  and  keep  its  records, 
minutes,  orders  and  accounts.  He  shall  hold  office  during  the 
pleasure  of  the  Commission,  and  the  Commission  may  prescribe 
the  duties  and  powers  of  such  secretary. 

6.  Any  four  members  of  the  Commission  shall  constitute  a 
quorum  for  the  transaction  of  any  business  or  for  the  exercise  of 
all  or  any  of  the  powers  exercisable  by  the  Commission. 

7.  The  objects  and  powers  of  the  Commission  shall  be  the  re- 
habilitation of  the  city  of  Halifax  and  the  town  of  Dartmouth 
from  the  effects  of  said  explosion  of  December  6,  1917,  and  to 
this  end  it  shall  have  power  — 

(a)  To  undertake  and  carry  into  effect  whatever  in  its  opinion 
may  make  for  the  restoration  and  improvement  of  the  sanitary 
conditions  of  the  city  of  Halifax  and  the  town  of  Dartmouth,  and 
the  health  of  the  inhabitants  of  said  city  and  town. 


OOO 


(b)  To  collaborate  with  and  assist  the  constituted  authorities  in 
the  said  city  and  town,  including  the  city  board  of  health,  the 
Halifax  Relief  Commission  or  any  other  public  body  who  may 
exercise  any  powers  of  jurisdiction  with  respect  to  the  purpose  of 
the  Commission. 

(c)  To  receive,  hold  and  invest  from  time  to  time  all  moneys 
and  property  paid,  voted  or  contributed  by  any  person  or  govern- 
ment to  the  Commission  for  the  purposes  of  the  Commission. 

(d)  To  expend,  distribute  and  appropriate  all  such  moneys  and 
property  in  such  manner  as  the  Commission  shall  in  its  discretion 
deem  proper:  provided,  however,  that  in  case  any  money  or  prop- 
erty has  been  contributed  or  voted  for  any  particular  purpose  or 
purposes,  the  Commisson  shall  expend,  distribute  or  appropriate 
the  same  in  accordance  with  the  expressed  intention  of  the  donor. 

(e)  To  aid  any  institution,  association  or  public  body  which 
undertakes  or  has  heretofore  undertaken  any  work  which  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Commission  conduces  to  the  improvement  or  the 
restoration  of  the  health  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Halifax 
and  the  town  of  Dartmouth,  or  for  any  other  purposes  of  the 
Commission. 

(J)  To  collect,  publish  and  distribute  information  to  promote 
good  health  and  improved  sanitation. 

(g)  To  appoint  and  hire  such  officials,  servants,  agents  and 
workmen  as  the  Commission  may  think  proper  for  the  purpose  of 
the  proper  exercise  of  the  powers  exercisable  by  the  Commission, 
and  in  particular  the  Commission  may  employ  experts  in  municipal 
sanitation  and  public  hygiene,  or  otherwise. 

(h)  To  enter  into  agreements  and  contracts  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  out  the  powers  exercisable  by  the  Commission. 

(i)  To  acquire,  hold  and  dispose  of  real  and  personal  property 
of  every  kind  and  description,  and  to  deal  with  the  same  in  any 
way  the  Commission  may  think  fit. 

(j)  To  effect  from  time  to  time  temporary  loans  with  any  char- 
tered bank,  if  for  any  reason  funds  to  be  supplied  to  the  Commis- 
sion are  not  presently  available. 

(/c)  To  make  reports  and  recommendations  to  the  city  board  of 
health,  the  city  council  or  board  of  control  of  the  city  of  Halifax, 
the  town  council  of  the  town  of  Dartmouth,  and  the  Halifax  Relief 
Commission  on  any  matter  which  in  the  opinion  of  the  Commission 
may  conduce  to  the  improvement  of  public  health. 

556 


(1)  To  do  all  such  other  things  as  are  incidental  or  conducive 
to  the  attainment  of  the  above  objects  and  powers,  or  any  of 
them. 

8.  For  the  purpose  of  more  effectually  carrying  out  the  above 
objects  and  powers,  or  any  of  them,  the  Commission  may  make 
all  such  by-laws,  and  from  time  to  time  alter,  amend  or  repeal 
such  by-laws  as  to  it  may  seem  proper. 

9.  The  Commission  may  appoint  an  executive  officer  who  may 
be  a  physician,  not  necessarily  registered  in  the  medical  registry 
of  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia,  but  a  graduate  of  a  medical  school 
approved  by  the  provincial  medical  board. 


■a. . 


Then  passed  in  the  House  of  Assembly. 


Then  passed  in  Council. 


May  9,  1919. 

Robert  Irwin, 

Speaker. 

May  17,  1919. 

M.  H.  Goudge, 

President. 


I,  William  A.  Dickson,  Clerk   of   the  House  of  Assembly,  do 

hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  is  a  true  copy  of  an  act  passed 

at  the  last   session   of  the   Legislature   and   assented   to   by  the 

Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  seventeenth  day  of  May,  A.D.  1919. 

Dated  at  Halifax  this  twenty-second  day  of  May,  A.D.  1919. 

W.  A.  Dickson, 

Clerk. 

Chairmen  of  Woman's  Committees,  Council  of  National 
Defense,  in  Cities  and  Towns  in  Massachusetts 


Abington,   . 

Mrs.  S.  E.  Eastman. 

Acton, 

Miss  Charlotte  Conant. 

West  Acton,  . 

Miss  Laura  A.  Brown. 

Acushnet,    . 

Mrs.  W.  A.  White. 

Adams, 

Mrs.  Frank  Hanlon. 

North  Adams, 

Mrs.  C.  W.  Dibble. 

Agawam,     . 

Mrs.  Henry  E.  Bodurtha 

Alford, 

Mrs.  Robert  McLaren. 

Amesbury, 

Mrs.  C.  A.  Smith. 

OOI 


Amherst, Mrs.  W.  R.  Hart. 

Andover, Mrs.  B.  H.  Hayes. 

North  Andover  and  West  Box- 
ford,     Mrs.  Wm.  Sutton. 

Arlington, Mrs.  H.  W.  Reed. 

Ashburnham, Mrs.  Jas.  T.  Wheelan. 

Ashby, Mrs.  G.  H.  Joyce. 

Ashfield, Mrs.  Wm.  S.  Hunter. 

Ashland, Mrs.  H.  E.  Warren. 

Athol, Mrs.  Geo.  H.  Dodge. 

Attleboro, Mrs.  H.  M.  Daggett. 

North  Attleborough,     .        .        .  Mrs.  Geo.  Cotton. 

Avon, Mrs.  E.  C.  Glover. 

Aver, Mrs.  S.  B.  Dickerman. 

Baldwinsville  and  Templeton,       .  Mrs.  I.  M.  Coleman. 

Barnstable  and  Osterville,        .        .  Mrs.  Edward  A.  Handy. 

Barre, Mrs.  Harold  Wilder. 

_     ,  f  Mrs.  Fred  Bullard   \  _  . 

Becket'  '  J  Mrs.  Bertha  Shaw  /  Jomt  chai] 

Bedford, Mrs.  Geo.  R.  Blinn. 

Belchertown, Mrs.  E.  E.  Sargent. 

Bellingham, Mrs.  Walter  E.  Cooke. 

Belmont, Mrs.  E.  F.  Atkins. 

Berkley, Mrs.  Chas.  H.  Macomber. 

Berlin, Mrs.  Geo.  Sawyer. 

Bernardston, Miss  M.  B.  Barnard. 

Beverly, Mrs.  Edgar  Rideout. 

Billerica, Mrs.  Wm.  H.  Sexton. 

Blackstone, Mrs.  A.  F.  Thayer. 

Blandford, Miss  Susan  E.  Tiffany. 

Bolton, Mrs.  0.  A.  Everett. 

Boston, Mrs.  H.  J.  Gurney. 

Bourne, Mrs.  Eben  S.  S.  Keith. 

Boxborough, Mrs.  George  W.  Burroughs. 

Boxford, Mrs.  E.  L.  Bradford. 

Boylston, Mrs.  Wm.  S.  Garfield. 

West  Boylston,      ....  Mrs.  C.  E.  Burbank. 

Braintree, Mrs.  Pamelia  G.  Webber. 

Brewster, Miss  Alice  E.  Sears  (Secretary) 

Bridgewater, Mrs.  R.  W.  McLean. 

East  Bridgewater,         .        .        .  Miss  Maria  L.  Nutter. 

West  Bridgewater,        .        .        .  Mrs.  J.  J.  Copeland. 

Brimfield, Miss  Anna  Tarbell. 

558 


Brockton, 

. 

. 

.      Mrs.  W.  A.  Chaplain. 

Brookfield, 

Mrs.  John  MacLaurin. 

North  Brookfield, 

Mrs.  Herbert  E.  Cummings 

West  Brookfield,    . 

.     MissF.  E.  Gilbert. 

Brookline,  . 

Mrs.  Caroline  Perkins. 

Buckland,  .... 

Miss  M.  B.  Brown. 

Burlington, 

Cambridge, 

Mrs.  Edmund  A.  Whitman. 

Centerville  and  Craigvilk 

.      Miss  Mable  Phinney. 

Ciiarlemont,    ,    . 

Mrs.  L.  W.  Sears. 

Charlton,    . 

.     Mrs.  E.  W.  Preble. 

Chatham,   . 

Chelmsford, 

Miss  Maude  Perham. 

Chester, 

Mrs.  Frank  Fay. 

Chesterfield, 

Mrs.  F.  H.  Brvant. 

Chicopee,    . 

.     Mrs.  W.  B.  Culver. 

Clarksburg, 

.     Mrs.  Elizabeth  H.  Dibble. 

Clinton, 

Cohasset,    . 

Mrs.  Oliver  H.  Howe. 

Mrs.  A.  F.  Smith. 

Concord,     . 

.     Mrs.  Geo.  M.  Baker. 

Cotuit  and  Santuit, 

.     Mrs.  C.  F.  Hodges. 

Crescent  Mills, 

Mrs.  Jas.  Walkinshaw. 

Cummington,     . 

Mrs.  Leslie  Porter. 

Mrs.  E.  L.  Brown. 

Dana, 

Danvers, 

Dartmouth 

.     Mrs.  E.  M.  Poole. 

Dedham, 

Deerfield, 

Miss  Edith  Root. 

Dennis, 

East  Dennis, 

Mrs.  Susan  H.  Sears. 

Dennisport, 

Mrs.  M.  F.  Young. 

South  Dennis, 

.     Mrs.  C.  A.  Davis. 

West  Dennis, 

Mrs.  E.  S.  Osborne. 

Dighton,     .        .        .        . 

Douglas,     .        .        .        . 

Dover, 

Mrs.  Richard  W.  Hale. 

559 


Dracut, 
Dunstable, 
Duxbury,    . 

Eastham,    . 

Easthampton, 

Easton, 

Edgartown, 

Egremont,  . 

Enfield,       . 

Erring, 

Essex, 

Everett, 

Fairhaven, 
Fall  River, 
Falmouth,  . 
Feeding  Hills  Center 
Fitchburg, 
Foxborough, 
Framingham, 
Franklin,    . 
Freetown,  . 

Gardner,     . 
Gay  Head, 
Georgetown, 
Gill,     . 
Goshen 

9 

Gosnolj, 

Grafton, 

Granby, 

Granville,   . 

Greenfield, 

Greenwich, 

Groton, 

Groveland, 

Hadley, 

South  Hadley, 
Halifax, 
Hamilton,  . 


.      Miss  Edna  Cutter. 

Miss  Alice  L.  Butterfield. 
.     Mrs.  Lewis  J.  Thomas. 

..     Miss  May  A.  Knowles. 
.     Mrs.  W.  C.  Tannatt. 
.     Mrs.  L.  A.  Frothingham. 
.     Miss  Enid  Yandell. 

Mrs.  C.  Leonard  Holton. 

Mrs.  Walter  Bliss. 
.     Mrs.  W.  G.  Hawkes. 
.     Miss  Evelyn  Knowlton. 
.     Mrs.  B.  M.  Rowand. 

.  Miss  Mabel  Potter. 

.  Miss  Anna  H.  Borden. 

.  Mrs.  J.  M.  Watson, 

and  Agawam,  Mrs.  F.  W.  Taylor. 

.  Mrs.  Chas.  E.  Ware. 

.  Mrs.  Arthur  W.  Owen. 

.  Mrs.  N.  I.  Bowditch. 

.  Mrs.  U.  L.  Burns. 

.  Mrs.  Wm.  Sherman. 

Mrs.  Selon  Wilder. 
.     Miss  Nanetta  Vanderhoop. 
.     Miss  Katharine  D.  Root. 
.      Miss  Laella  Van  Valkenburgh. 
.     Mrs.  George  L.  Barrus. 
.     Mrs.  Roland  S.  Snow. 

( Mrs.  J.  L.  Keith. 
.  |  Mrs.  Frank  Warren,  Acting  Chair- 

[      man. 
.     Mrs.  Chas.  W.  Ball. 

Mrs.  Emma  L.  Stowe. 
.     Mrs.  Arthur  D.  Potter. 
.      Mrs.  Wm.  H.  Walker. 

Mrs.  Frank  A,  Torry. 
.     .Mrs.  Ernest  W.  Boner. 

.  Mrs.  F.  H.  Lawrence. 

.  Mrs.  Wm.  O'Brien. 

.  Mrs.  Abram  Bourne. 

.  Mrs.  Edward  B.  Cole. 


560 


Hampden,  . 
Hancock,  . 
Hanover,  . 
Hanover  Center, 

North  Hanover, 

South  Hanover, 

West  Hanover, 
Hanson, 
Harvard, 
Harwich, 
Hatfield, 
Haverhill, 
Hawley, 
Heath, 
Hingham, 
Hinsdale, 
Holbrook, 
Holden, 
Holland, 
Holliston, 
Holyoke, 

Hopedale  and  Milford, 
Hopkinton, 
Hubbardston, 
Hudson, 
Hull,    . 
Huntington, 
Hyannis,     . 
Hyde  Park  and  Readville, 


Mrs.  C.  S.  Shute. 
Mrs.  Charles  "Wells. 
Mrs.  William  F.  Bates. 
Mrs.  Bernard  Stetson. 
Mrs.  John  Prosper  Merrill. 
Mrs.  Morrill  A.  Phillips. 
Miss  Grace  L.  Russell. 
Mrs.  Mary  Lewis. 
Miss  Clara  E.  Sears. 
Mrs.  Harriet  D.  Handy. 
Mrs.  R.  F.  Wells. 
Mrs.  Grant  H.  Fairbanks. 
Miss  Mabel  P.  Sears. 
Mrs.  Wilson  Hillman. 
Miss  Grace  Richards. 
Miss  Harriet  E.  Tracy. 
Miss  Mary  L.  Holbrook. 
Mrs.  J.  Quincy  Dix. 
Mrs.  Arthur  G.  Childs. 
Mrs.  Allan  V.  Garratt. 
Mrs.  Nathan  P.  Avery. 
Miss  Fanny  C.  Osgood. 
Mrs.  G.  W.  Butterfield. 
Mrs.  Wm.  E.  Clough. 
Mrs.  Henry  P.  Walker. 
Mrs.  Carrie  E.  Mitchell. 
Mrs.  Frank  T.  Clapp. 
Mrs.  James  N.  Smith. 
Mrs.  Fred  S.  Smith. 


Ipswich, Mrs.  Joseph  W.  Ross. 


Kingston, Miss  Helen  Holmes. 


Lancaster,  . 
Lanesborough, 
Lawrence,  . 
Lee, 

Leicester,    . 
Lenox, 
Leominster, 
Leverett,     . 

North  Leverett, 


Miss  Mary  W.  Bartol. 
Mrs.  H.  C.  Beers. 
Mrs.  John  P.  Sweeney. 
Miss  Henrietta  Y.  Bos  worth. 
Mrs.  J.  S.  Whittemore. 
Mrs.  Roswell  D.  Curtis. 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Bosworth. 
Miss  Florence  E.  Felton. 
Miss  Carrie  Graves. 


561 


Lexington, 
Leyden, 
Lincoln, 
Littleton,    . 
Longmeadow,    . 

East  Longmeadow. 
Lowell, 
Ludlow, 
Lunenburg, 
Lynn, 
Lvnnfield,   . 

South  Lvnnfield, 


Mrs.  Ed.  H.  Nowers. 
Mrs.  Alfred  P.  Black. 
Mrs.  Sarah  Phillips  Bradley. 
Miss  Fannie  A.  Sanderson. 
Mrs.  Flynt  Lincoln. 
Mrs.  Albert  Denslow. 
Mrs.  Butler  Ames. 
Mrs.  C.  T.  Harrington. 
Mrs.  Frederick  L.  Francis. 
Mrs.  Henrietta  T.  Rundlett. 
Mrs.  Annie  P.  Hutchinson. 
Miss  May  Elder. 


Maiden,      . 

Manchester, 

Mansfield, 

Marblehead, 

Marion, 

Marlborough, 

Marshfield, 

Mashpee,    . 

Mattapoisett, 

Maynard,   . 

Medfield,    . 

Medford,     . 

Medway,     . 

Melrose, 

Mendon, 

Merrimac,  . 
Methuen,  . 
Middleborough, 
Middlefield, 
Middleton, 
Millbury,  . 
Millers  Falls, 
Millville,  . 
Milton, 
Mittineague, 
Moore's  Corner, 
Monson, 
Montague, 
Monterey,   . 


Mrs.  F.  A.  Shove. 

Mrs.  Win.  Hooper. 

Mrs.  Lillian  A.  Davison. 

Miss  Edith  J.  Fabans. 

Mrs.  H.  M.  Knowlton. 

Miss  Mabel  Leighton. 

Miss  Emma  Sparrell. 

Mrs.  Dorcas  M.  Gardner. 

Miss  Alice  Stackpole. 

Mrs.  Augustus  L.  Morse. 

Mrs.  W.  A.  Werker. 

Mrs.  Laura  P.  Patten. 

Mrs.  Orion  T.  Mason. 

Mrs.  Harold  Marshall. 
(  Miss  Julia  F.  Darling. 
•j  Miss      Florence     Bennett, 
[      Chairman. 

Mrs.  Hattie  M.  Bridges. 

Mrs.  Franz  Schneider. 

Mrs.  Granville  E.  Tillson. 

Mrs.  W.  Ovid  Eames. 

Mrs.  J.  Warren  Osborne. 

Mrs.  C.  C.  Ferguson. 

Mrs.  H.  M.  Ward. 

Mrs.  John  M.  Ransom. 

Mrs.  Wallace  C.  Tucker. 

Mrs.  Henry  Tower. 

Mrs.  Frank  N.  Bourne. 

Mrs.  Robert  H.  Cushman. 

Mrs.  C.  M.  Bardwell. 

Mrs.  Campbell. 


Acting 


562 


Mrs.  Frank  J.  Clark. 


Mount  Washington, 

Mrs.  Earl  VanDeusen. 

Nahant,       . 

Mrs,  Fred  A.  Wilson. 

Nantucket, 

Mrs.  Ida  H.  Folger. 

Natick,        .        .        .        . 

Mrs.  Henry  C.  Mulligan. 

• 

(Mrs.  Bernard  J.  Rothwell. 

Needham,   .        .        .        . 

.  -j  Mrs.    Moses    Williams,    Jr., 

[      Chairman. 

New  Bedford,    . 

.     Mrs.  Andrew  G.  Pierce,  Jr. 

New  Braintree, 

Mrs.  James  Green. 

Newburyport,    . 

.     Miss  Mary  T.  Spalding. 

•West  Newbury, 

.      Mrs.  Jas.  E.  Holmes. 

New  Salem, 

Mrs.  Geneva  Sieg  Ballard. 

Newton,      . 

Mrs.  Irving  0.  Palmer. 

Northampton,    : 

.     Mrs.  Chas.  E.  Childs. 

Northborough,  . 

Mrs.  Herbert  L.  Kimball. 

Northbridge, 

Mrs.  Sidney  R.  Mason. 

Northfield, 

.     Mrs.  C.  E.  Williams. 

Norton,       . 

.     Mrs.  Herbert  H.  Smith. 

Norwell,      .        .        .        . 

.     Mrs.  Amy  W.  Sylvester. 

Norwood,    . 

.     Mrs.  J.  C.  Lane. 

Oak  Bluffs, 

Mrs.  Adalyn  Ripley. 

Oakdale, 

.     Mrs.  Chester  N.  Pratt. 

Oakham, 

.      Mrs.  Erne  Swindle. 

Orange, 

.     Mrs.  W.  E.  Osterhout. 

Orleans, 

.      Miss  Mary  S.  Cummings. 

Otis,     .... 

.     Miss  Nellie  E.  Haskell. 

Oxford, 

.      Mrs.  Joselin. 

Palmer, 

.     Mrs.  G.  S.  Holden. 

Paxton, 

.     Mrs.  Chas.  H.  Derby. 

Peabody,     . 

.     Mrs.  J.  B.  Palmer. 

Pelham, 

Mrs.  F.  A.  Shepard. 

Pembroke, 

Mrs.  Dorothy  H.  Thayer. 

Pepperell,    . 

.     Mrs.  Nathaniel  W.  Appleton 

Petersham, 

.     Mrs.  Wm.  S.  McNutt. 

Phillipston, 

.      Mrs.  G.  M.  Chaffin. 

Pittsfield,    . 

Dr.  Mary  Anna  Wood. 

Plainfield,   . 

.     Mrs.  N.  K.  Lincoln. 

Plymouth, 

.     Mrs.  Edward  E.  Hobart. 

Plympton, 

.     Mrs.  Charles  D.  Page. 

Pottersville, 

.     Mrs.  Albert  Walton. 

Acting 


563 


Prescott, Mrs.  Frank  Allen. 

Princeton Miss  Isabel  Davis. 

Provincetown, Mrs.  Mary  E.  Kendrick. 

Quincy, Mrs.  John  D.  MacKay. 

Randolph, Mrs.  Ellen  T.  Proctor. 

Reading, Mrs.  Helen  R.  Grimes. 

North  Reading,     ....  Mrs.  C.  F.  Burditt. 

Rehoboth, Mrs.  Amelia  Carpenter. 

Revere, Mrs.  Alfred  Hall. 

Richmond, Miss  Catharine  B.  Runkle. 

Rochester,  ......  Miss  .Mary  L.  Holmes.  ^ 

Rockland, Mrs.  Giles  W.  Howland. 

Rockport, Mrs.  Fred  H.  Tarr. 

Rowe, Mrs.  B.  T.  Henry. 

Rowley, Mrs.  W.  H.  Keyes. 

Royalston, Mrs.  Walter  N.  Farrar. 

Russell  Mountain,     ....  Mrs.  A.  E.  Bolton. 

Rutland, Mrs.  F.  H.  Drury. 


Salem, 

Salisbury, 

Sandwich, 

Saugus, 

Scituate, 

Seekonk, 

Sharon, 

Sheffield, 

Shelburne, 

Sherborn, 

Shirley, 

Shrewsbury, 

Shutesbury, 

Somerville, 

Southborough, 

Southbridge, 

Southampton, 

Southwick, 

Spencer, 

Springfield, 

West  Springfield, 
Sterling, 


Mrs.  CO.  Emmerton. 
Mrs.  John  Q.  Evans. 
Miss  Julia  A.  Yard. 
Miss  Emma  Newhall. 
Mrs.  George  V.  Yenetchi. 
Mrs.  Herbert  E.  Cushing. 
Mrs.  Samuel  G.  Spear. 
Mrs.  Joseph  Kirby. 
Mrs.  F.  E.  Chapman. 
Mrs.  Francis  Bardwell. 
Mrs.  David  Lindenberg. 
Mrs.  Thomas  A.  Hickey. 
Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Ingham. 
Mrs.  Frederick  G.  Smith. 
Mrs.  Ellwood  W.  Ward. 
Mrs.  George  M.  Cheney. 
Mrs.  E.  C.  Searle. 
Mrs.  A.  R.  Webb. 
Mrs.  J.  C.  Austin. 
Mrs.  Arthur  C.  Dutton. 
Mrs.  M.  L.  Brown. 
Mrs.  Herbert  W.  Robinson. 


564 


Stoekbridge, 

West  Stoekbridge, 
Stoneham, 
Stoughton, 
Stow,  . 
Sturbridge, 
Sudbury,     . 
Sunderland, 
Sutton, 
Swampscott, 
Swansea,     . 


Taunton, 

Templeton  and  Baldwi 

Tewksbury, 

Three  Rivers,     . 

Tisbury, 

West  Tisbury, 
Tolland, 
Topsfield,    . 
Truro, 

Turners  Falls,    . 
Tyngsborough, 
Tyringham 


Upton, 
Uxbridge, 


Wakefield, 

Wales, 

Walpole, 

Waltham, 

Ware, 

Wareham, 

Warren, 

Warwick, 

Washington 

Watertown 

Wayland, 

Webster  an 

Wellesley, 

Wellfleet, 

Wendell  and  Farley, 

Westborough,     . 


d  Dudley 


msv 


■illc 


Mrs.  Grenville  G.  Merrill. 
Mrs.  Francis  Day. 
Mrs.  G.  W.  Nickerson. 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  W.  Faxon. 
Mrs.  Charles  A.  Hearsey. 
Mrs.  George  S.  Ladd. 
Mrs.  Melvin  Guptill. 
Mrs.  Charles  Moline. 
Mrs.  George  Freeland. 
Mrs.  P.  S.  Bailey. 
Mrs.  Augusta  Barney. 

Mrs.  Edward  Lovering. 
Mrs.  I.  M.  Coleman. 
Mrs.  C.  Brooks  Stevens. 
Mrs.  C.  H.  van  Deusen. 
Mrs.  Henry  R.  Flanders. 
Mrs.  James  Adams. 
Mrs.  Homer  T.  Hale. 
Miss  Katherine  Willman. 
Miss  Mary  M.  Rich. 
Mrs.  W.  L.  Salmon. 
Mrs.  Chester  H.  Queen. 
Mrs.  Banyer  Clarkson. 

Mrs.  Samuel  R.  Capen. 
Mrs.  D.  H.  Reese. 

Mrs.  Henry  S.  Bouve. 
Mrs.  C.  T.Holt. 
Mrs.  Joseph  S.  Leach. 
Mrs.  Florence  E.  Crocker. 
Miss  Carolyn  V.  Tucker. 
Mrs.  Frank  A.  Besse. 
Mrs.  H.  N.  Shepard. 
Mrs.  Frederick  W.  Bass. 
Mrs.  Alexander  Drumm. 
Miss  Lillian  C.  Albee. 
Mrs.  Frank  I.  Cooper. 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Hetherman. 
Mrs.  John  E.  Oldham. 
Mrs.  Arthur  H.  Rogers. 
Mrs.  Chas.  H.  Cogswell. 
Mrs.  Arthur  W.  Xourse. 


565 


Westfield,   . 

.     Mrs. 

West  ford,    . 

.     Mrs. 

Westhampton, 

.     Miss 

Westminster, 

.     Rev. 

Weston, 

Mrs. 

W  est  wood, 

.     Mrs. 

Weymouth, 

.      Miss 

Whately,     . 

.      Mrs. 

Whitman,  . 

.     Mrs. 

Wilbraham, 

.     Mrs. 

Williamsburg, 

.     Miss 

Williamstown, 

.      Mrs. 

Wilmington, 

.     Mrs. 

Winchendon, 

.      Mrs. 

Winchester, 

.     Mrs. 

Winthrop,  . 

.     Mrs. 

Woburn,      . 

.      Mrs. 

Worcester, 

.     Mrs. 

Woronoco, 

.     Mrs. 

Worthington, 

.     Mrs. 

Wrentham, 

.     Mrs. 

Wyben, 

.     Mrs. 

Yarmouth, 

.     Mrs. 

Frederic  Hull. 
John  P.  Wright. 
Julia  M.  Edwards. 
Lucy  M.  Giles. 
Arthur  H.  Morse. 
E.  Howard  Child. 
Louisa  E.  Humphrey. 

A.  H.  Beers. 

B.  S.  Atwood. 
Joseph  B.  White. 
Anna  Dunphy. 
William  C.  Hart. 
Tyler  A.  Stevens. 
William  E.  Holden. 
Minnie  C.  Ely. 
John  E.  Gilman,  Jr. 
Wm.  R.  Emery. 
Samuel  B.  Woodward. 
James  B.  Wagg. 
Frederick  Fairman. 
George  L.  Wallace. 

S.  A.  Allen. 


Mrs.  Nathan  H.  Matthews. 


566 


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567 


Food  Committees 

Home  Economics 

Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer,  Home  Economics  Director. 

Mrs.  Malcolm  Donald,  Chairman,  Women's  Council  of  National  Defense 

Food  Committee. 
Dean  Sarah  Louise  Arnold,  Ex-Chairman,  Food  Committee. 


Pres.  Kenyon  L.  Butterfield. 
Laura  B.  Comstock. 
Z.  C.  Dickinson. 
George  H.  Ellis. 
Henry  B.  Endicott. 


Mrs.  Herbert  J.  Gurney. 
Louise  Pryor. 
Antoinette  Roof. 
James  H.  Ropes. 
Frances  Stern. 


Educational  Director  and  Publicity  Agencies 

John  F.  O'Connell. 
Thomas  J.  Feeney. 
Mrs.  Frederic  E.  Dowling. 


Daniel  J.  O'Connor 
Robert  B.  Kelty. 
Grace  M.  Burt. 
Grace  E.  Cobb. 


Retail  Store  Publicity 

George  W.  Mitton,  State  Merchant  Representative. 
Earle  Power,  Assistant. 
Gertrude  Chamberlain,  Secretary. 

Printing,  Speakers'  Bureau  and  Movies 


Arthur  A.  Kidder,  Chief. 
Francis  H.  Appleton,  Jr. 


Mrs.  Caroline  Fitzgerald. 
Kenneth  G.  T.  Webster. 


Literature  Bureau 
Louise  W.  Jackson.  Mrs.  Kenneth  S.  Usher. 

Library  Director 
Edith  Guerrier.  I  Mrs.  Marian  P.  Libbey,  Assistant. 

Elizabeth  Burrage,  Assistant. 

Director  of  School  and  College  Activities 

James  H.  Ropes. 

Ada  Comstock,  Secretary  of  Volunteer  College  Workers. 

Boston  Produce  Markets 
A.  Presby  Col  burn.  Alice  Parker,  Field  Agent. 


State-wide  Market  Service 


E.  Farmim  Damon. 
Robert  W.  Merrick. 
William  L.  Machmer. 


Elliot  Rogers. 
Joseph  McEvoy. 
James  L.  Early. 


Community  Markets 
George  H.  Burnett. 


Regulation  Divisions 

Enforcement  Division 

W.  Redman  Peabody,  General  Counsel 
Isaiah  R.  Clark,  Assistant  Counsel. 
John  E.  Hannigan,  Assistant  Counsel. 
Beatrice  Vaughn,  Secretary. 


Z.  C.  Dickinson,  Chief. 
Alice  McWilliams,  Clerk. 
Paul  J.  Sachs  (in  service),  former 
Chief. 


License  Division 

C.  0.  Blood. 
Charles  H.  Cutting. 
Dr.  Walter  G.  Chase. 


Price  Division 
Richard  M.  Everett,  Chief,  Assistant  Food  Administrator. 
Henry  C.  Everett,  Jr.,  Chief,  Assistant  Food  Administrator. 


Bertha  R.  Eastman. 
Mrs.  W.  M.  Buckley,  Secretary. 
Mrs.    W.    M.    Wheeler,    Chief    of 
Price  Reporting. 


Mrs.  E.  W.  Hoist. 

George  W.  Lakin,  Inspector. 

Benjamin  Freedman,  Inspector. 


Charles  F.  Adams. 
C.  O.  Blood. 
James  D.  Casey. 
J.  Frank  O'Hare. 
Henry  S.  Potter,  Jr. 


Retail  Price  Committee 

Leonard  Rhodes. 
H.  A.  Spinney. 
Charles  S.  Tenney. 
Mrs.  W.M.  Wheeler. 


Sugar  Division 
Edward  Wigglesworth,  Chief,  Assistant  Food  Administrator. 


Kenneth  S.  Usher. 
Arthur  S.  Browne. 


H.  P.  Smith. 


Mary  H.  Bergen,  Secretary 


Grocers'  Sugar  Department 

|  H.  M.  Xorthey 


5G9 


Manufacturers',  Bakers'   and  Restaurant  Sugar  Department 
Frank  A.  Harding. 


Sugar  Inspection  Department 


J.  Fred  Hussey. 
N.  J.  Stevens. 
Harrv  B.  Blake. 


Henry  R.  Benson. 
W.  Everett  Smith. 
Thomas  F.  Fitzgerald. 


Sugar  Certificate  Department 
Joanne  Tobin.  Mrs.  French. 

Cereal  DivisroN 
Z.  C.  Dickinson,  Chief. 

Flour  and  Substitute  Department 


Russell  J.  Goodnow. 
Mrs.  Louise  B.  Thompson. 
John  Heard,  Jr. 
Donald  G.  Barnes. 
Leon  H.  Davis. 


Edward  A.  Cutting. 

Warren  G.  Torrey. 

A.  I.  Merigold,  representing  Food 
Administration  Grain  Corpora- 
tion. 


Medical  Advisers 
Dr.  Edward  Reynolds.  Dr.  Charles  W.  Townsend. 

Food  and  Grain  Department 
George  H.  Ellis.  |  J.  D.  Willard. 


Baking  Division 


Arthur  N.  Milliken,  Chief. 
G.  Glover  Crocker. 


William  T.  May,  Assistant. 
Harriet  Ross,  Secretary. 


Inspectors 


Louis  A.  Merry. 
J.  J.  Sullivan. 


H.  C.  Thomas. 


Executive  Committee  Bakers'  Service  Board 
Alton  H.  Hathaway,  Chairman. 
Frank  R.  Shepard,  Treasurer. 
D.  F.  Phelps,  Secretary. 


George  B.  Ochsner. 
Alexander  Ren  ton. 


Robert  Rausch. 


570 


Count ji  Captains  of  Bakers 


Barnstable,  Edward  J.  Sheehan. 
Berkshire,  C.  I.  Bigley. 
Bristol,  H.  P.  Dion. 
Essex,  Joseph  Dube. 
Franklin,  Louis  A.  Phelps. 
Hampden,  Eugene  A.  Dexter. 


Hampshire,  J.  A.  Maloney. 

Middlesex.  Victor  A.  Friend 
Norfolk,  William  J.  Gurley. 
Plymouth,  A.  C.  Hastings. 
Suffolk,  C.  J.  McGovern. 
Worcester,  A.  Swanson. 


Frank  C.  Hall,  Chairman. 
Dr7  H.  P.  Jacques. 
Arthur  N.  Milliken. 


Hotel  and  Restaurant  Division 

Mrs.  Gertrude  E.  Simpson,  Secre- 
tary. 


Hotels 


Arthur  L.  Race. 
Archie  Hurlburt. 
Chas.  T.  Shean. 
C.  S.  Averill. 
H.  L.  Teague. 


N.  A.  Eldridge. 
YV.  M.  Kimball. 
J.  Floyd  Russell. 
Lester  Roberts. 
C.  M.  Hart. 


H.  S.  Kelsey. 
Walter  Cook. 


Restaurants 


W.  L.  Birelev 


Steamboats 
E.  R.  Grabow. 

Industrial  Restaurants,  Schools  and  Colleges 
E.  H.  Ansell. 

Clubs 
Llewellyn  Howland. 


Transportation  and  Adjustment  Division 
William  L.  Putnam,  Chairman. 


0.  M.  Chandler. 
George  M.  Flint. 
Davenport  Brown. 


Alfred  W.  Otis,  Adjuster. 
Anna  Griffin,  Secretary. 
John  J.  Higgins. 


571 


Town  and  City  Food  Administrators 

Baknstable  County 

Barnstable  and  West  Barnstable,  .        .  Howard  N.  Parker. 

Bourne, Robert  S.  Handy. 

Brewster, .  W.  B.  Crocker. 

Centerville, C.  E.  Doubtfire. 

Chatham, Geo.  H.  Nickerson,  2d. 

Dennis, James  H.  Jenks. 

Falmouth, H.  V.  Lawrence. 

Harwich, L.  G.  Williams. 

Hyannis, L.  B.  Boston. 

Orleans, E.  H.  Upham. 

Provincetown, W.  B.  Bangs. 

Sandwich, George  L.  McCann. 

Truro, M.  F.  Corey. 

Wellfleet, James  L.  Gordon,  Acting  Chair- 
man. 

West  Dennis, Geo.  H.  Garfield. 

Yarmouth,  Edmund  W.  Eldridge. 

Berkshire  County 

Adams, Harry  E.  Davis. 

Alford, A.  S.  Garrison. 

Becket, Ormi  S.  Willis. 

Cheshire, W.  A.  Benjamin. 

Clarksburg, Richard  L.  Francis. 

Dalton, C.  H.  Church. 

Florida, J.  A.  Newman. 

Great  Barrington, Thomas  H.  Maloney. 

Hancock, W.  K.  Hadselle. 

Hartsville  (New  Marlborough),  .  Miss  L.  A.  Doncaster. 

Hinsdale, T.  J.  O'Leary. 

Hoosac  Tunnel  (Florida),        .        .  J.  A.  Newman. 

Lanesborough, Chas.  A.  Fowler. 

Lee, James  B.  Pollard. 

Lenox, George  F.  Bourne. 

Monterey, Lester  S.  Miner. 

New  Ashford, Forest  C.  White. 

North  Adams, M.  V.  N.  Braman. 

Otis, George  P.  Carter. 

Peru, F.  G.  Creamer. 

Pittsfield, Harry  Holden. 

572 


Richmond, 
Savoy, 
Sheffield,     . 
Stockbridge, 
South  Egremont, 
Tyringham, 
West  Stockbridge, 
Williamstown,    . 
Windsor,     . 


R.  C.  Stead. 
A.  J.  McCulloch. 
W.  D.  French. 
E.  J.  Flynn. 
J.  C.  O'Neil. 
El.  L.  Tinker. 
Fred  Toby. 
Samuel  B.  Blagden. 
J.  A.  Estes. 


Bristol  County 

Attleboro,  Rehoboth  and  Seekonk,        .     Joseph  Finberg. 

h;i  ton, Wm.  N.  Howard. 

Fall  River,  Somerset,  Swansea  and 
Westport, 

Mansfield  and  Norton,     .... 

New  Bedford,  Acushnet  and  Dart- 
mouth,     

Fairhaven,  Freetown  and  New  Bedford, 

North  Attleborough,         .... 

Taunton,  Raynham,         .... 

Somerset,  Pottersville  and  Swansea, 


M.  A.  McClarence. 
Elvin  L.  Smith. 


Ernest  A.  Wheaton. 
Rev.  H.  E.  Latham. 
Merle  T.  Barker. 
Adam  W.  Grifford. 


Dukes  County 

Chilmark, Hartford  C.  Mayhew. 

Edgartown B.  T.  Hillman. 

Gay  Head, L.  L.  Vanderhoop. 

Gosnold, Chas.  B.  Church. 

Oak  Bluffs, F.  W.  Smith. 

Tisbury, Wm.  A.  Robinson. 

West  Tisbury, W.  E.  Mayhew. 


Essex  County 


Amesbury, 

Andover,     . 

Beverly, 

Danvers, 

Essex, 

Georgetown, 

Gloucester, 

Groveland, 

Hamilton  and  Wenham, 


John  J.  Allen. 
Fred  H.  Jones. 
J.  W.  McPherson. 
Chas.  H.  Preston. 
Albion  Riggs. 
William  Bray. 
T.  J.  Carroll. 
Chas.  H.  Pike. 
J.  D.  Barnes. 


573 


Haverhill,  . 

Ipswich, 

Lawrence,  . 

Lynn, 

Lynnfield,  . 

Manchester, 

Marblehead, 

Merrimac,  . 

Methuen,    . 

Middleton, 

Nahant, 

Newbury,   . 

Newburyport, 

North  Andover, 

Peabody, 

Rockport, 

Rowley, 

Salem, 

Salisbury, 
Saugus, 
Swarnpscott, 
Topsfield,    . 
West  Boxford, 
West  Newbury, 


Geo.  L.  Martin. 
Chas.  E.  Goodline. 
T.  A.  Welch. 
H.  Herbert  Richardson. 
Nelson  B.  Todd. 
Geo.  Wilmonton. 
Joseph  W.  Coates. 
Willis  H.  Scott. 
William  Taylor. 
Maurice  E.  Taylor. 
H.  C.  Wilson. 
Richard  P.  Noyes. 
William  G.  Fisher. 
Herbert  McQuestion. 
J.  J.  Cartten. 
John  Dennis. 
J.  N.  Dummer. 
Arthur  H.  Phippen. 
Charles  Lawson. 
John  Q.  Evens. 
Wm.  0.  Bursch. 
Ed.  H.  Kitfield. 
I.  H.  Sawyer. 
Leroy  E.  Colby. 
L.  G.  Dodge. 


Franklin  County 

Ashfield, Abbot  L.  Howes. 

Bernardston, Henry  L.  Crowell. 

Buckland, F.  D.  Kendrick. 

Charlemont, Geo.  Frary. 

Colrain, Walter  Kemp. 

Conway, Edward  AfThouser. 

Deerfield,    .        .        .        .  >      .        .        .  Lincoln  B.  Wells. 

Erving, C.  H.  Holmes. 

Gill, P.  S.  Eddy. 

Greenfield, Fred  W.  Burnham. 

Hawley, H.  C.  Hodge. 

North  Heath, J.  G.  Thompson. 

Leverett, C.  Hall  Beaman. 

Leydon, Rev.  A.  E.  Roberts. 

Monroe, E.  C.  Davis. 

Montague, Fred  C.  Abercrombie. 

574 


New  Salem, E.  F.  Stowell. 

Northficld F.  A.  Welch. 

Orange, W.  S.  Johnson. 

Rowe, Henry  D.  Wright. 

Shelburne, F.  D.  Kendriek. 

Shutesbury S.  R.  Johnson. 

Sunderland, C.  P.  Smith. 

Warwick, 0.  W.  Cole. 

Wendell, N.  B.  Plumb. 

Whately, Montville  L.  Crafts. 

Hampden  County 

Agslwam, D.  J.  Collins. 

Blandford, W.  V.  Bodurtba. 

Brimfield, C.  B.  Brown. 

Chester, Leon  J.  Kelso. 

Chieopee, N.  P.  A.  Carter. 

East  Longmeadow, H.  W.  King. 

Granville, 0.  R.  Noble. 

Hampden, C.  J.  Burleigh. 

Holland, J.  F.  Hebard. 

Holyoke, J.  B.  Weis. 

Longmeadow Fred  M.  Flagg. 

Ludlow, Wr.  E.  Gushen. 

Monson, Rufus  P.  Cushman. 

Montgomery, Myron  Kelso. 

Palmer, R.  C.  Newell. 

Russell, E.  D.  Parks. 

Southwick, J.  W.  Root. 

Springfield, C.  B.  Potter. 

Tolland, John  R.  Rogers. 

Wales, L.  H.  Thompson. 

WTest  Springfield, A.  L.  Pease. 

Westfield, L.  B.  Allyn. 

Wilbraham, F.  A.'  Warren. 

Hampshire  County 

Amherst, Mason  A.  Dickinson. 

Easthampton, Archibald  Forbes. 

Greenwich, E.  H.  Walker. 

Northampton, Louis  L.  Campbell  and  William 

Kimball. 

Ware, E.  H  Brenan. 


Middlesex  County 


Acton  Administrator, 
Arlington  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Ashby  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Ashland  Administrator, 
Aver  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Bedford  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Belmont  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Billerica  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Boxborough  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Burlington  Administrator, 
Cambridge  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Carlisle  Administrator,     . 

Food  Control, 
Chelmsford  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Concord  Administrator,  . 

Food  Control, 
Dracut  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Dunstable  Administrator, 
Everett  Administrator,    . 

Food  Control, 
Framingham  Administrator 

Control, 
Groton  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Holliston  Administrator, 
Hopkinton    Administrator 

Control, 
Hudson  Administrator,    . 

Food  Control, 


Lexington  Administrator, 
Lincoln  Administrator,     . 
Food  Control, 


and 


anc 


Food 


Food 


Allen  S.  Porker. 
Charles  H.  Higgins. 
Warren  P.  Peirce. 
Rev.  E.  S.  Treworgy. 
Walter  H.  Smith. 
George  G.  Tidsbury. 
George  L.  Osgood. 
George  H.  Hill. 
George  R.  Blinn. 
W.J.Balfour. 
Dr.  L.  B.  Clark. 
F.  H.  Kendall. 
Charles  A.  Wright. 
Thomas  F.  Sheridan. 
Stephen  D.  Salmon,  3d. 
Arthur  W.  Nelson. 
Fred  Kneeland  Walker. 
William  W.  Davis. 
Edwin  A.  Cutting. 
Herbert  A.  Lee. 
James  F.  Anthony. 
C.  George  Armstrong. 
Herbert  C.  Sweetser. 
Allen  French. 
George  M.  Baker. 
Thomas  Varnum. 
A.  L.  Blizzard. 
James  E.  Kendall. 
H.  Heustis  Newton. 
Henry  Duncan. 

Theodore  F.  Rice. 
S.  Warren  Sturgis. 
Stephen  W.  Sabine. 
Louis  E.  P.  Smith. 

Daniel  J.  Riley. 

Loriman  Brigham. 

Thomas   Kelly   and    Edgar    P. 

Larkin. 
George  E.  Briggs. 
C.  S.  Smith. 
George  L.  Chapin. 


57G 


Littleton  Administrator  and  Food 

trol,      .... 
Lowell  Administrator, 
Maiden  Administrator,     . 

Food  Control, 
Marlborough  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Maynard  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Melrose  Administrator,    . 

Food  Control, 
Natiek  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Newton  Administrator,    . 

Food  Control, 
North  Reading  Administrator  and 

Control, 
Pepperell  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Reading  Administrator,   . 

Food  Control, 
Sherborn  Administrator, 
Shirley  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Somerville  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Stoneham  Administrator, 
Stow  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Sudbury  Administrator,  . 
Tewksbury  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Townsend  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Tyngsborough  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Wakefield  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Waltham  Administrator  and  Food 

trol,      .... 
Watertown  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Wayland  Administrator, 
Westfield  Administrator, 


Con- 


Food 


Con- 


Jolm  II.  Hardy. 
Edward  Fisher. 
George  H.  Johnson. 
Daniel  MeKenzie. 
John  A.  O'Connell. 
Winfield  Temple. 
George  Smith. 
George  F.  Morse. 
Chas.  H.  Adams. 
Chas.  E.  Merrill. 
John  B.  Leamy. 
Chas.  H.  Hollis. 
Alfred  McDonald. 
Alfred  W.  Fuller. 

Herbert  D.  Wilson. 
Waldo  Spaulding. 
John  L.  Boynton. 
Frank  Gray. 
M.  E.  Brande. 
Arthur  R.  Wright. 
Mrs.  David  L.  Lindenburg. 
Frank  Lawton. 
Chas.  V.  Blanchard. 
Irving  Taylor. 
George  R.  Barnstead. 
Rev.  J.  Sidney  Moulton. 
R.  P.  Harriman,  Maynard. 
Winthrop  H.  Fairbank. 
Irving  F.  French. 
Harry  L.  Shedd. 
A.  Dudley  Bagley. 
Frank  B.  Higgins. 
H.  E.  Symonds. 
Raymond  W.  Sherbourne. 
Dr.  Chas.  E.  Montague. 
Joseph  L.  Gooch. 

Fred  H.  Kirwin. 
Wesley  E.  Monk. 
H.  L.  Paine. 
Chester  B.  Williams. 
James  W.  Rafter. 


Ol  I 


Weston  Administrator,     . 
Wilmington  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Winchester  Administrator, 

Food  Control, 
Woburn  Administrator  and  Food 


Mrs.  John  B.  Paine. 
Dr.  T.  B.  Buzzell. 
Ed.  Woodside. 
James  Hinds. 
Maurice  Deneen. 


con- 


trol,       B.  G.  Fowler. 


Norfolk  County 


Avon, 
Braintree,  . 
Brookline,  . 
Canton, 
Cohasset,    . 
Dedham  and  W 
Dover, 
Foxborough, 
Franklin,    . 
Holbrook,    . 
Millis, 
Milton, 
Medfield,     . 
Medway,     . 
Needham,  . 
Norfolk, 
Norwood,    . 
Plainville,  . 
Quincy, 
Randolph, 
Sharon, 
Stoughton, 
Wellesley,   . 
Wrentham, 


estwood, 


Carroll  A.  Capen. 
Chas.  O.  Miller. 
W.  E.  Ward. 
H.  Everett  Beal. 
Geo.  W.  Collier. 
Theodore  F.  March. 
James  H.  Chickering. 
Ernest  A.  White. 
Ulysses  L.  Burne. 
Alfred  C.  Magaw. 
Everett  L.  Coldwill. 
Joseph  Babcock. 
Henry  E.  Young. 
Sewell  E.  Kingsbury. 
Henry  L.  Thompson. 
Clifford  L.  Hubbard. 
Frederick  E.  Brooks. 
Theodore  E.  Fuller. 
Miss  Wane. 
Carroll  A.  Capen. 
J.  J.  Rafter. 
Ernest  H.  Gilbert. 
Geo.  H.  Sweetser. 
Geo.  L.  Dodd. 


Plymouth  County 

Town  Captains 

Abington, E.  P.  Boynton. 

Bridgewater, Samuel  Norton. 

Brockton, Walter  T.  Packard. 

Lieutenants:  William  Rankin,  C.  G.  Clapp,  C.  W.  O.  Lawson,  Walter 
Pratt,  Orvis  F.  Kinney  and  Miss  Annie  L.  Burke. 

578 


Carver, H.  S.  Griffith. 

Duxbury, Sidney  G.  Soule. 

East  Bridgewater, Fred  E.  Fuller. 

Halifax C.  F.  Tewksbury. 

Lieutenants:    Frank  E.  Tyler,  Secretary,  E.  Lawrence  Grover,  Win.  E. 

Robertson,   Geo.   W.   Sturtevant,  Wm.  B.  Wood  and  Clarence  E. 

Devitte. 


Hanover, 

Hanson, 

Hingham, 

Hull,    . 

Kingston, 

Lakeville, 

u.. 

Marion, 
Marshfield, 

Lieutenant:  Oliver  Hatch. 
Mattapoisett,     . 
Middleborough, 
Norwell,      .... 

Lieutenants:    Henry  D.  Smith, 


John  W.  Beal. 
A.  B.  Sturtevant. 
Edgar  M.  Lane. 
John  Wheeler. 
Miss  Helen  Holmes. 
Oscar  F.  Stetson. 
Arthur  E.  Griffin. 
David  F.  Strange. 


Henry  L.  Dunham. 
Oscar  F.  Stetson. 
Joseph  C.  Otis. 
Carleton  O.  Litchfield,  Charles  Scully, 


Jesse  Reed  and  Geo.  H.  Turner. 
Pembroke, 
Plymouth, 
Plympton, 
Rochester,  . 
Rockland,  . 
Scituate, 
Wareham,  . 
West  Bridgewater, 
Whitman,   . 


H.  L.  Shepard. 

W.  L.  Mayo,  Jr. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fill ebr own. 

Lawrence  Humphrey. 

Edward  H.  Williams. 

H.  W.  Cole. 

I.  C.  Hammond. 

Geo.  Cobb. 

W.  W.  Copeland. 


Win.  J.  Randall. 

Peter  F.  Conley. 

Miss  Clementina  Derocco. 

Ascanio.Dirago. 


Suffolk  County 

District  Deputies 

Horace  Waite. 
Mrs.  R.  A.  Woods. 
F.  W.  Dickerman. 


Advisory  Comm  ittee 


John  B.  Drum. 
James  T.  O'Brien. 
Frank  V.  Thompson. 


George  C.  Greener. 
William  L.  Terhune. 
F.  W.  Dickerman. 


579 


Worcester  County 

Ashburnham, C.  A.  Hubbell. 

Clinton, Edward  Osgood. 

Fitchburg, James  E.  Shea. 

Hardwiek, Fred  Crawford. 

Leominster, J.  A.  Jalbert. 

Oxford, Joseph  L.  Brown. 

Southbridge, Herman  T.  Hude. 

Spencer, Geo.  H.  Bemis. 

Warren, P.  O.  Perkins. 

Webster, Harry  Nado. 

Westborough Fred  W.  Humphrey. 

Worcester, Carmine  Zemarro. 

Calendar,   Home  Economics  Committee,  March,  1917,  to 

November,   1918 

March,  1917. 

Women's  food  work  started.  Dean  Sarah  Louise  Arnold  appointed 
chairman  of  Food  Conservation  Committee,  being  a  sub-com- 
mittee of  President  Butterfield's  Committee  on  Food  Produc- 
tion and  Conservation  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  on 
Public  Safety. 
June  15,  1917. 

Women's  food  work  incorporated  with  Council  of  National  Defense. 
Mrs.  Nathaniel  Thayer  appointed  director. 

Monthly  conference  started. 
July,  1917. 

First  Hoover  pledge  card  drive. 
August,  1917. 

"No  white  bread  week"  in  all  public  eating  places  of  the  State. 
September,  1917. 

White  breadless  days  campaign. 
October,  1917. 

Wheatless  and  meatless  days  compaign. 

Announcement  of  plan  of  work  of  merchant  representative. 

First  meeting  of  Home  Economics  Committee,  held  bi-monthly. 
November,  1917. 

Plan  proposed  for  lectures  on  food  conservation  in  retail  stores. 

Food  movies  discussed. 

Fish  campaign. 

Lecture  bureau  started. 

Liberty  Bread  Shop  opened  (privately  financed). 

Red  Cross  Lunch  Room  opened  (privately  financed). 

Publicity  organized. 

580 


December,  1917. 

Conservation  menus  sent  to  cantonments. 
January,  1918. 

Corn  meal  campaign. 

Porkl  ess  days. 

209    Food    Conservation    Committees    organized    under    Council    of 
National  Defense. 

1918  home  card  campaign. 

Sunday  bulletin  in  newspapers  started. 

Circular  letter  sent  to  unit  chairmen  containing  report  of  food  saved 
through  food  conservation  in  November,  1917. 

First  weekly  Food  Bulletin  issued. 

Retail  price  reporting  started. 
February,  1918. 

Fats  campaign. 

Appointment  of  men  and  women  county  food  administrators. 

Questionnaire  on  results  of  distribution  of  1918  home  card. 
April,  1918. 

Potato  campaign. 

Poster  campaign  — 
Food  and  child  welfare. 

Campaign  for  centers:  — 
Canning  centers. 
Markets. 
Community  markets. 

Campaign  for  using  up  corn  meal. 
May,  1918. 

Five  conservation  cottages  on  Boston  Common  opened. 

Flour  card  campaign. 

Absolutely  wheatless  campaign. 

Beef  conservation  campaign. 
June,  1918. 

Milk  campaign. 

Canning  centers  questionnaires  sent  out. 
July,  1918. 

Distribution  of  sugar  cards. 

Wheatless  and  sugarless  food  demonstration  electric  car. 

Motor  demonstration  truck. 

426  moving-picture  slides  circulated,  "Sugar  Ration." 

418  moving-picture  slides  circulated,  "Wheat  Ration  per  Person." 
August,  1918. 

Drive  for  storage  of  vegetables. 

400  moving-picture  slides  circulated,  "Canning  and  Preserving." 


581 


September,  1918. 

Questionnaires  sent  to  canning  centers  regarding  supply  of  sugar. 

Cottage  cheese  campaign. 

Exhibits  at  county  fairs. 

Pit  and  nut  campaign  for  gas  masks. 

400  moving-picture  slides  circulated,  "Use  Fancy  Meats." 

68  moving-picture  slides  circulated,  "Eat  Cottage  Cheese." 

Emergency  canteens  established  during  influenza  epidemic. 
November,  1918. 

400  moving-picture  slides  circulated,  "Save Food  to  Save  Humanity." 


Circular  issued  by  The  New  England  Coal  Committee 

State  House,  Boston,  July  24,  1917. 
To  New  England  Consumers  of  Coal. 

The  New  England  Coal  Committee  has  been  able  during  the 
last  few  weeks  to  assist  in  materially  increasing  the  all-rail  move- 
ment of  anthracite  to  New  England.  The  New  England  railroads, 
their  officers  and  employees,  have  spared  no  effort  to  co-operate 
with  the  Committee  in  securing  this  result.  Receivers  of  coal 
also  have  helped  to  increase  the  carrying  capacity  of  the  scanty 
supply  of  cars  available  for  New  England  needs  by  making  un- 
usual efforts  to  unload  their  cars  between  sunrise  and  sunset  on 
the  day  received,  though  there  is  still  need  of  better  dispatch  in 
unloading  on  the  part  of  many  consignees.  We  are  writing  to 
each  consignee  who  detains  cars,  asking  for  his  patriotic  co-opera- 
tion in  more  prompt  unloading,  and  we  are  glad  to  say  that  our 
letters  have  been  received  in  the  spirit  in  which  they  have  been 
written,  and  we  are  receiving  assurances  in  every  direction  of  a 
willingness  to  make  a  better  showing  in  future. 

The  solid  trainload  movement  from  the  hard  coal  fields  of  Penn- 
sylvania direct  to  the  twenty-eight  New  England  distributing 
points,  arranged  by  this  Committee,  is  also  adding  to  the  carrying 
capacity  of  the  New  England  equipment.  Much  credit  is  due  the 
Reading  Coal  Company  and  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  Rail- 
way for  the  inauguration  of  this  solid  trainload  movement;  with- 
out their  interest  and  co-operation  this  most  promising  innovation 
could  not  have  been  begun.  The  Committee  feels,  however,  that 
while  hard  coal  conditions  have  thus  been  improved,  New  Eng- 
land is  not  yet  by  any  means  out  of  the  woods  as  regards  its  supply 
of  anthracite  for  the  coming  winter,  owing  to  the  fact  that  while 

582 


more  coal  is  being  carried  by  rail,  less  is  being  brought  by  water 
due  to  lack  of  sufficient  water  tonnage,  and  also  to  shortage  of  coal 
at  the  loading  ports. 

The  Committee  is  now  addressing  its  efforts  especially  to  these 
water  conditions. 

Coal  Reserves  Too  Low- 
As  we  all  know,  the  New  England  industries  depend  chiefly 
upon  bituminous  coal,  and  this  is  also  true  of  our  railroads,  trolley 
lines,  electric  light  and  gas  companies  and  many  other  essential 
activities.  The  stock  of  bituminous  coal  now  on  hand  in  New 
England  is  deficient,  and  bituminous  coal  is  not  now  moving  and 
■l  hai  not  been  moving  during  the  last  few  months  of  good  weather 
into  New  England  in  sufficient  quantities  to  accumulate  the  re- 
serves needed  to  carry  our  industries  through  the  coming  winter. 
There  is  a  temptation  during  the  summer  months  for  consumers 
of  coal  to  be  lulled  into  a  false  sense  of  security.  The  use  of  house- 
hold coal  falls  off  to  a  marked  extent  during  the  warm  weather, 
and  the  use  of  commercial  bituminous  coal  falls  off  sensibly  also, 
because  in  summer  the  large  factory  burns  coal  only  for  power 
instead  of  for  both  power  and  heat.  The  consumption  by  railroads 
is  also  less  in  warm  weather,  and  due  to  the  shorter  daylight  hours 
every  one  of  the  electric  light  and  gas  companies  dotted  over 
New  England  increases  materially  its  coal  consumption  in  winter. 
We  are  likely  to  forget  under  the  easier  railroad  operating  con- 
ditions of  the  summer  months,  that  in  winter  the  carrying  capacity 
of  our  New  England  railroads,  which  can  barely  take  us  through 
the  summer  months,  suffers  a  serious  reduction  in  the  number  of 
freight  cars  that  can  be  hauled  into  and  out  of  New  England.  It 
is  probably  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  average  carrying  capacity 
of  our  railroads  is  reduced  during  the  three  months  of  severest 
winter  weather  by  25  per  cent.  It  is  certa'nly  within  bounds  to 
place  this  reduction  in  carrying  capacity  at  20  per  cent.  The  in- 
clement winter  weather,  moreover,  operates  to  reduce,  probably 
to  a  greater  extent,  the  carrying  capacity  of  the  vessels  and  barges 
bringing  coal  to  the  New  England  ports. 

Next  Ninety  Days  Critical 

New  England  has  never  been  able  to  bring  in  eoal  during  the  winter 
months  as  fast  as  it  must  be  burned.    Our  rail  and  water  facilities 

583 


have  been  provided  on  the  theory  that  they  would  be  kept  busy 
all  the  year  round,  and  that  consumers  would  take  care  of  the  heavy 
drain  on  their  coal  piles  in  winter  by  accumulating  coal  in  summer. 
It  is  most  certainly  true  that  if  New  England  is  to  pass  success- 
fully through  next  winter,  every  single  car  of  coal  which  can  pos- 
sibly be  brought  into  New  England  during  the  next  thirty,  sixty 
and  ninety  days  should  be  so  brought,  and  that  every  ton  which 
can  be  moved  towards  New  England  by  barge  or  steamer  should 
be  so  moved.  New  England  cannot  possibly  make  up  next  winter 
any  slackening  in  the  movement  of  coal  during  the  next  ninety 
days  of  favorable  weather. 

Fill  the  Bins  now 

We  are  not  now  discussing  the  question  of  price,  though  we 
fully  appreciate  the  oppressive  burden  which  has  been  borne  by 
New  England  in  this  respect  during  the  last  twelve  months.  "We 
are  pointing  out  that  if  New  England  is  to  get  through  next  winter 
with  the  coal  it  must  have,  and  thus  avoid  hardships  much  greater 
than  even  the  exorbitant  prices  of  last  winter,  our  people  must 
take  coal  and  keep  taking  coal  every  day  to  the  limit  of  the  New 
England  carrying  capacity. 

This  duty  to  keep  our  carrying  capacity  working  to  the  full 
limit  during  the  next  ninety  days  falls  especially  upon  our  larger 
corporate  units  which  have  the  financial  resources  and  the  storage 
capacity  required  to  accumulate  now  a  large  proportion  of  their 
next  winter's  supply.  The  obligation,  however,  rests  with  equal 
force  upon  the  individual,  whether  householder  or  manufacturer, 
who  has  the  financial  resources  and  storage  capacity  to  take  in  his 
next  winter's  coal  at  the  present  time.  In  our  judgment  the  house- 
holder of  means  should  now  make  sure  that  his  bins  are  full,  so 
that  his  competition  with  the  poor  man  during  next  winter's 
crisis  shall  be  at  the  minimum. 

A  New  Cause  of  Shortage 

There  are  a  number  of  other  unfavorable  factors  bearing  upon 
the  New  England  fuel  problem,  several  of  which  it  is  perhaps  as 
well  to  mention.  The  Navy  Department  and  other  departments 
of  the  government  must  be  kept  fully  supplied  with  coal,  but 
several  times  recently  different  departments  of  the  Federal  gov- 

584 


eminent,  without  notice,  have  suddenly  commandeered  at  the 
tidewater  ports  large  quantities  of  our  coal  which  had  left  the 
mines  and  were  actually  on  the  move  to  New  England.  Bottoms 
to  a  considerable  extent  during  the  last  thirty  days  have  arrived 
at  Hampton  Roads  only  to  find  that  without  notice  their  coal  had 
been  suddenly  taken  by  the  government. 

If  the  government  had  estimated  its  needs  and  had  given  ten 
days'  notice,  this  shipping  could  have  been  diverted  to  other  ports, 
thus  being  probably  kept  employed.  Furthermore,  if  in  future 
the  government  requirements  could  be  filled  by  a  comparatively 
steady  stream  of  coal  instead  of  by  sudden,  peremptory  demands 
for  large  quantities,  it  would  be  of  great  assistance. 

Coal  from  the  mines  of  Ohio,  Illinois,  Indiana  and  other  western 
and  southern  coal-producing  districts  is  not  required  to  any  appre- 
ciable extent  for  governmental  purposes,  because  these  smoky  coals 
are  not  suitable  for  naval  use  and  because  the  coal  is  not  accessible 
from  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  This  throws  practically  the  whole 
government  demand  on  to  the  West  Virginia  and  Maryland  fields, 
which  are  the  chief  sources  of  supply  for  New  England.  Before 
the  war  South  America,  the  Mediterranean  and  many  other 
points  were  fed  with  coal  chiefly  from  Belgium  and  England. 
These  sources  of  supply  have  gone,  and  every  ton  of  coal  for  which 
shipping  can  be  secured  is  being  taken  from  these  same  regions 
tributary  to  New  England  to  replace  Belgium  and  British  coal. 


A  Costly  Competition 

These  unusual  demands  upon  the  eastern  coal  fields  and  the 
shortage  in  water  transportation  have  crowded  an  unusual  amount 
on  the  all-rail  routes,  and  this  has  thrown  an  abnormal  New  Eng- 
land demand  upon  the  somewhat  limited  Clearfield  coal  district 
of  northern  Pennsylvania  where  this  all-rail  coal  is  secured.  This 
has  forced  New  England  buyers  of  coal  into  unusual  competition 
with  each  other  and  with  others  seeking  coal  in  the  Clearfield 
district,  thereby  forcing  up  the  price  of  all-rail  coal.  It  has  in- 
creased New  England's  coal  bill  both  directly  and  indirectly,  the 
latter  because  the  high  price  for  all-rail  coal  has  prevented  this 
fuel  supply  from  furnishing  the  usual  competition  with  water- 
borne  coal  coming  to  us  from  Maryland  and  West  Virginia.  Coal 
cannot,   under  ordinary  circumstances,  be  brought  successfully 

585 


from  the  West  Virginia  and  Maryland  fields  by  rail,  because  of 
the  excessive  cost  of  the  long  railroad  haul  and  the  inadequate 
supply  of  cars. 

New  England  Purchasers  should  broaden  their  Market 

AYe  suggest  that  New  England  purchasers  of  tidewater,  who 
have  difficulty  in  securing  coal  from  the  New  River  and  Poca- 
hontas districts,  should  turn  their  attention  more  to  the  mines 
producing  the  higher  volatile  coals  accessible  to  tidewater  in  West 
Virginia,  Virginia,  Tennessee,  Pennsylvania  and  Kentucky,  even 
though  some  of  these  more  distant  fields  involve  from  15  to  25 
cents  higher  cost  of  transportation  to  seaboard.  It  seems  partic- 
ularly worth  while  for  New  England  consumers  to  investigate  the 
possibilities  of  these  sources  of  supply.  Coal  moving  from  the 
Virginia  fields  takes  the  same  rate  as  Pocahontas  and  New  River. 

Price  Very  Uncertain 

We  are  repeatedly  asked  if  the  consumer,  by  waiting,  will  be 
able  to  get  his  coal  at  a  lower  price.  We  cannot  answer  this 
question,  because  while  the  government  seems  to  be  contemplat- 
ing the  regulation  of  coal  prices,  on  the  other  hand,  the  govern- 
ment itself  has  felt  obliged  to  take  such  contrary  steps  as  the  sud- 
den seizure  of  New  England's  coal  for  naval  purposes.  More- 
over, the  tremendous  pressure  which  the  government  is  putting 
on  industrial  establishments  for  war  materials,  and  the  conse- 
quent acute  competitive  labor  demand  created  thereby,  tends  to 
deplete  further  the  already  insufficient  supply  of  labor  at  the 
mines,  and  besides,  conscription,  if  applied  to  miners,  will  also 
soon  aggravate  the  situation  still  more. 

A  fixed  government  price  at  which  needed  coal  cannot  be  se- 
cured will  not  run  a  factory  or  keep  a  house  warm  next  winter. 
Then,  too,  there  is  the  transportation  difficulty.  Our  railroads 
can  carry  much  less  coal  in  the  winter  months  when  the  needs 
are  much  the  greatest.  Less  can  move  by  water,  and  while  rail- 
road rates  are  stable,  control  of  water  rates  so  far  has  not  been 
undertaken  by  the  government.  Last  spring  and  winter  water 
carriage  on  coal  to  Boston  went  as  high  as  $5  per  ton,  and  to  this 
must  be  added  the  cost  of  railway  transportation  from  the  mines 
to  tidewater,  plus  a  second  railroad  charge  if  the  coal  was  to  move 

586 


from  Boston  or  other  New  England  port  buck  into  the  interior. 
A  possible  saving  on  the  price  of  coal  at  the  mines  may  be  much 
more  than  wiped  out  by  the  extra  cost  of  winter  transportation. 
At  present,  water  rates  to  Boston  are  about  $2.50  per  ton,  though 
few  or  no  time  contracts  have  been  placed  on  this  basis,  and  the 
market  is  highly  sensitive.  To-day's  spot  price  is  now  much  more 
favorable  than  last  winter,  although  still  much  above  the  price 
before  the  war,  which  was  well  under  $1  to  Boston,  with  corre- 
sponding rates  to  ports  east  and  west  of  Boston. 

We  think  the  only  safe  course  for  New  England  consumers  to 

pursue  is  to  purchase  coal  on  a  considerable  scale  during  the  next 

ninety  days,  so  that  before  the  end  of  October  they  may  be  sure 

.*   tOuhave  on  hand  a  liberal  supply.    In  no  other  way  can  we  be  sure 

to  keep  warm  and  to  keep  our  industries  going  next  winter. 

NEW  ENGLAND   COAL  COMMITTEE, 

By  James  J.  Stokrow, 

Chairman. 


Organization  of  Federal  Fuel  Administration  for  New 

England 
Federal  Fuel  Administration  for   New   England 

James  J.  Storrow,  Federal  Fuel  Administrator  for  New 

England. 
J.  B.  Pierce,  Deputy  and  General  Secretary. 

D.  H.  Howie,  Deputy. 

E.  S.  Kelley,  Assistant. 

A.  G.  Duncan,  Special  Assistant. 

J.  F.  O'Hare,  Special  Assistant. 

E.  W.  Longley,  Treasurer. 

W.  R.  Herlihy,  Jr.,  Assistant  Treasurer. 

New  England  State  Fuel  Administrators 

T.  W.  Russell. 


Connecticut, 

C.  \\ .  Jaynes,  Deputy. 

,  J.  C.  Hamlin. 

^  N.  Clifford,  Deputy. 


Massachusetts, 


J.  J.  Storrow. 

J.  13.  Pierce,  General  Secretary. 

D.  H.  Howie,  Deputy. 


a»/ 


„      TT         ,  .  [  H.  E.  Slayton. 

New  Hampshire, J  . 

[  H.  VV .  rhinney,  secretary. 

pi    j    t.i      i  /  M.  G.  Chace. 

|  J.  T.  Wilson,  Secretary. 

,7  [  H.  J.  M.  Jones. 

Vermont, <  ,..  T    __.      ,    a 

M.  L.  uood,  Secretary. 


Allocation  of  Administration  Coal 
W.  W.  Willett,  Chairman. 
L.  F.  Leigh  ton.  B.  Covel. 

United  States  Shipping  Board,  Emergency  Fleet  Corporation,  Division  of 

Operations 

Capt.  A.  L.  Crowley. 

New  England  Coal  Barge  and  Toicers'  Association 

Capt.  A.  L.  Crowley,  Supervisor. 

James  J.  Storrow,  Chairman  Executive  Committee. 

Long  Island  Sound  Barge  Operators'  Association 
Frederick  T.  Kellers,  Supervisor.  J.  P.  Collins,  Secretary. 

Payment  for  and  Rebilling  of  Administration  Coal 

Borden  Covel,  Manager. 

H.  N.  Mitchell,  Auditor. 

W.  S.  Howell,  All-rail  Administration  Coal. 

J.  E.  Mason,  Tidewater  Administration  Coal. 

United  States  Ordnance  Department 
Lieut.  A.  L.  Moore.  S.  A.  Haley. 

Legal 
A.  A.  Schaefer. 

Publicity 
H.  W.  Kendall. 

Statistician 
E.  F.  O'Dowd. 

Oil,  Gasoline  and  Charcoal 
F.  D.  Comerford. 

588 


Advisory  Shippers'  Committee 


W.  W.  Willett,  Chairman. 

B.  Covel,  Secretary. 

O.  L.  Alexander. 

S.  P.  Burton. 

H.  P.  Cannon. 

Capt.  A.  L.  Crowley. 


Capt.  J.  G.  Crowley. 

R.  Grant. 

E.  Hamlin. 

G.  Hawley. 

Commander  H.  E.  Stevens,  U.  S.  N. 


Massachusetts  City  and  Town  Organizations,  Retail  Prices 
Channing  E.  Sweitzer. 

E.  F.  Jackson. 

L.  F.  Willard,  Field  Agent. 

F.  M.  Hildebrandt,  Federal  Trade  Commission  Representative. 

312  local  committees. 


Massachusetts  Conservation 

I.  N.  Hollis. 

A.  E.  Norton,  Executive  Secretary. 


Manufacturing  Plants,  Advisory  Engineers 


G.  P.  Gilmore,  Southeastern. 
T.  Hawley,  Boston. 
I.  N.  Hollis,  Central. 


C.  T.  Main,  Boston. 

A.  T.  Safford,  Northeastern. 

J.  A.  Skinner,  Western. 


Factory,  fuel  and  power  committees  in  2,300  factories. 


Laundries 


E.  Pi.  Marshall,  Chairman. 
W.  P.  Creamer. 


F.  H.  Foster. 
H.  P.  Hovey. 


Factory  Inspection,  Field  Engineers 


C.  M.  Allen. 
E.  Q.  Cole. 
A.  S.  Kellogg. 


J.  W.  Moran. 
E.  Smith. 


Volunteer  visiting  engineers  in  GO  cities  and  towns. 


Domestic  Economy 


C.  F.  Allen. 


N.  Nightingale. 


589 


Interconnection  of  Public  Utilities 
D.  M.  DeBard,  Chairman. 

Stale  Institutions 
A.  E.  Norton. 

Operating  Engineers  and  Firemen 


H.  H.  Comerford. 
W.  H.  Damon. 
W.  J.  DuWors. 


T.  Hawley. 
F.  H.  Kimbali. 
J.  H.  Mullen. 


Street  Railways 
H.  B.  Potter,  Chairman. 

Hotels 
L.  C.  Prior,  Chairman. 

Anthracite 
A.  M.  Macleod. 

Massachusetts  Retail  Distribution 
W.  H.  Ballard.  |  F.  M.  Miller. 

Records 
A.  H.  Roby. 

Massachusetts  Supply  and  Distribution 
W.  G.  Carter.  |  R.  W.  Cook. 

Emergency  Supply 
T.  F.  Dwyer,  Jr.  |  W.  F.  Harris. 

Tidewater  Reports 
W.  C.  Carlisle. 

All-rail  Diversions  and  Car  Delays 
W.  J.  Vaughan. 

Diversions 
E.  T.  Cate. 

590 


Car  Delay  a 
W.  H.  Knieht.  I  F.  H.  Wheeler. 


'.-!' 


Special  Representatives,  New  England  Railroad  Cateirays 
O.  R.  Eytel,  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  Harlem. 
G.  B.  Smith,  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  Maybrook. 
G.  G.  Gilson,  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  Mechanicsville. 
D.  F.  Regan,  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad,  West  Albany. 


,  Bituminous 

R.  S.  Coffin. 


Tidewater  Reports 
W.  C.  Carlisle. 

All-rail  Diversions  and  Car  Delays 
W.  J.  Vaughan. 

Diversions 
E.  T.  Cate. 

Car  Delays 
W.  H.  Knight.  |  F.  H.  Wheeler. 

All-rail  Bituminous  Distribution 
E.  G.  Blaisdell.  |  A.  E.  Wood. 

Special  Representatives,  New  England  Railroad  Gateways 

0.  R.  Eytel.  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  Harlem. 
G.  B.  Smith.  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  Maybrook. 
G.  G.  Gilson,  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  Mechanicsville. 
D.  F.  Regan,  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad,  West  Albany. 

Records 
L.  F.  Leighton.  G.  Sanford. 

591 


Industrial  Priorities 
T.  S.  Spinney. 

Gas  Coal 
J.  F.  Wing. 
F.  W.  Clemson,  Supply  and  Distribution. 


Tidewater  Bituminous  Distribution 


S.  B.  Willett. 

C.  P.  Chase. 


C.  W.  Parker,  Jr. 
H.  M.  White. 


Special  Representatives,  Dumping  Ports 


W.  H.  Brown,  Norfolk,  Va. 
J.  P.  Collins,  New  York  City 


J.  R.  George. 
W.  D.  Clark. 


J.  J.  MeSweeney,  Baltimore,  Md. 


Wood 

G.  D.  Dutton. 


Local  wood  fuel  committees. 


Chairmen  of  Fuel  Committees  in  Cities  and  Towns  in 

Massachusetts 

Abington, C.  L.  Keen. 

Acton, Edgar  H.  Hall. 

Acushnet, William  G.  Taber. 

Adams, Edwin  K.  McPeck. 

Agawam, F.  A.  Worthington. 

Amesbury, A.  N.  Parry. 

Amherst, Dr.  C.  S.  Walker. 

Andover, E.  Barton  Chapin. 

Arlington, S.  Frederic  Hicks. 

Ashburnham, C.  A.  Hubbell. 

Ashby, James  C.  Allen. 

Ashfield, George  W.Cook. 

Ashland, Franklin  Enslin. 

Assonet, George  W.  Hathaway. 

Athol, Frank  A.  Ball. 

Attleboro, Frank  M.  Payson. 

Auburn, Alfred  Bennet. 

592 


Avon, 

Ayer, 

Barnstable, 

Barre, 

Becket, 

Bedford,    . 

Belchertown, 

Bellingham, 

Belmont,  . 

Berkley,    . 

Berlin, 

Bernards  ton, 

Beverly,    . 

Billerica,   . 

Blackstone, 

Blandford, 

Bolton, 

Boston, 

Bourne,     . 

Boxborough, 

Boxford,    . 

Boylston, 

Braintree, 

Brewster, 

Bridgewater, 

Brimfield, 

Brockton, 

Brookfield, 

Brookline, 

Cambridge, 
Canton,     . 
Carver, 
Charlemont, 
Charlton, 
Chatham, 
Chelmsford, 
Chelsea,     . 
Cheshire,  . 
Chester,    . 
Chicopee, 
Chilmark, 
Clinton,     . 


John  T.  Dolan. 
Eugene  S.  Barry. 

Howard  N.  Parker. 
John  S.  Rice. 
W.  C.  Ballon. 
Nathan  H.  Daniels. 
E.  A.  Randall. 
Timothy  E.  Foley. 
Winthrop  Brown. 
T.  F.  Paull. 
Ira  G.  Dudley. 
H.  M.  Moat. 
Charles  W.  Trask. 
Edgar  P.  Sellew. 
George  W.  Maxon. 
W.  V.  Bodurtha. 
Frank  S.  Hamblin. 
David  A.  Ellis. 
Frederic  Tudor. 
Stephen  D.  Salmon. 
Chester  Killiam. 
Eugene  C.  Potter. 
Charles  C.  Mellen. 
Francis  H.  Perry. 
Frank  E.  Sweet. 
Charles  W.  Waldron. 
David  Perkins. 
W.  McLaurin. 
Frederic  Cunningham 

Elmer  H.  Bright. 
James  P.  Lynch. 
Philip  S.  Cole. 
Rev.  E.  G.  Hooper. 
Thomas  Longbottom. 
Augustus  M.  Bearse. 
Paul  Dutton. 
William  J.  Murdoch. 
Thomas  J.  Curtin. 
R.  H.  Cook. 
John  E.  Granfield. 
Daniel  Vincent. 
Judge  Charles  Mayberry 


593 


Cohasset, 
Concord,  . 
Conway. 
Cummington, 

Dal  ton, 

Dana, 

Danvers,  . 

Dartmouth, 

Dedham,  . 

Deerfield, 

Dennis, 

Dighton,   . 

Douglas,    . 

Dover, 

Dracut, 

Dunstable, 

Duxbury, 

East  Bridgewater, 

East  Brookfield, 

East  Longmeadow, 

Eastham, 

Easthampton, 

Easton, 

Edgartown, 

Egremont, 

Enfield,     . 

Erving, 

Essex, 

Everett,     . 

Fairhaven, 
Falmouth, 
Fall  River, 
Fitchburg, 
Florida,  . 
Foxborough, 
Framingham, 
Franklin,  . 
Freetown, 


Arthur  W.  Hatch. 
Edward  L.  Parker. 
Edward  Affhauser. 
Leslie  L.  Porter. 

L.  A.  Haworth. 
Otis  E.  Hager. 
Thomas  E.  Tinsley. 
Henry  L.  Tiffany. 
F.  P.  Royce. 
John  J.  Greenough. 
Zebina  H.  Small. 
George  M.  Chase. 
F.  J.  Libby. 
Harold  Walker. 
Fred  A.  Bassett. 
James  E.  Kendall. 
Ralph  K.  Bearce. 

Henry  L.  Moorehouse. 
George  A.  Putney. 
Edward  M.  Burt. 
Arthur  W.  Parnell. 
Albert  D.  Sanders. 
Frederick  Hanlon. 
Dr.  Edward  P.  Worth. 
John  C.  O'Neil. 
Dr.  W.  B.  Segur. 
Lewis  L.  Claflin. 
Fred  K.  Burnham. 
J.  Arthur  Benner. 

Thomas  W.  Whitfield. 
Dr.  Lewis  C.  Weeks. 
Charles  L.  Holmes. 
Charles  B.  Smith. 
Joseph  Newman. 
W.  S.  Cruickshank. 
N.  I.  Bowditch 
Alfred  W.  Dana. 
John  Thwaites. 


Gardner,   . 
Gay  Head, 


Alvin  W.  Bancroft. 
E.  D.  Vanderhoop. 


594 


Georgetown, 
Gill, 

Gloucester, 
Gosnold,  . 
Grafton,  . 
Granby,  . 
Great  Barrington, 
Greenfield, 
Greenwich, 
Groton,  . 
Groveland. 


Ha^ley,     . 
Halifax,     . 
Hamilton  and 
Hancock, 
Hanover,  . 
Hanson,     . 
Hardwick, 
Harvard,  . 
Harwich,  . 
Hatfield,    . 
Haverhill, 
Hingham, 
Hinsdale, 
Holbrook, 
Holden,     . 
Holliston, 
Holyoke,  . 
Hopedale, 
Hopkinton, 
Hubbardston, 
Hudson,    . 
Hull, 

Huntington, 
Hyannis,  . 

Ipswich,    . 

Kingston, 

Lancaster, 

Lanesborough, 

Lawrence, 


Wenham, 


H.  Howard  Noyes. 
William  J.  Anderson. 
Frederic  A.  Shackelford. 
Charles  B.  Church. 
Frank  Kilmer. 
C.  W.  Terry. 
Noble  B.  Turner. 
Harry  E.  Hamilton. 
Louis  A.  Faverio. 
C.  Z.  Southard. 
John  F.  Dearborn. 

Elam  S.  Allen. 
Jared  Baker. 
Lester  E.  Libby. 
Rev.  John  D.  Graham. 
Edward  A.  Bowker. 
Andrew  P.  Sturtevant. 
Joseph  Knight. 
F.  W.  Bateman. 
Charles  E.  Hamer. 
Harry  L.  Howard. 
FYed  D.  McGregor. 
Charles  B.  Barnes. 
L.  Harry  Brague. 
Dennis  E.  McCarthy. 
Loring  W.  Hubbard. 
Arthur  A.  Williams. 
Edward  J.  Meachain. 
William  W.  Knights. 
George  V.  Brown. 
William  H.  Wheeler. 
E.  W.  Dunbar. 
Charles  S.  McDowell. 
Don  V.  Mcsser. 
Edward  F.  Maher. 

Walter  E.  Hayward. 

Frank  C.  Woodward 

Dudley  H.  Dorr. 
Zadoc  Williams. 
Richard  Ward. 


595 


Lee,   . 

Lenox, 

Leominster, 

Leverett,  . 

Lexington, 

Lincoln,     . 

Littleton, 

Longmeadow, 

Lowell, 

Ludlow,     . 

Lunenburg, 

Lynn, 

Lvnnfield, 


Walter  J.  Ingram. 
Dr.  H.  P.  Jaques. 
E.  B.  Richardson. 
Charles  L.  Putney. 
Frank  W.  Herrick. 
C.  Lee  Todd. 
Hon.  Frank  A.  Patch. 
Dr.  E.  S.  Temple. 
Albert  D.  Milliken. 
A.  H.  Bartlett. 
Emerson  W.  Baker. 
C.  Fred  Smith. 
Dr.  E.  W.  Freeman. 


Maiden, Henry  P.  Porter. 

Manchester, Everett  L.  Edmands. 

Mansfield, W.  C.  Fuller. 

Marblehead, Henry  F.  P.  Wilkins. 

Marion, Reid  D.  Macafee. 

Marlborough, Dr.  Edward  H.  Ellis. 

Marshfield, Fred  M.  Lamson. 

Mattapoisett, Everett  C.  Stetson. 

Maynard, Joshua  Naylor. 

Medfield, George  L.  L.  Allen. 

Medford, J.  W.  Rockwell. 

Med  way, Charles  W.  Auel. 

Melrose, Edward  E.  Babb. 

Merrimac, Thomas  H.  Hoyt. 

Methuen, James  C.  Forbes. 

Middleborough, "William  B.  Crossley. 

Middleton, Galen  B.  Howe. 

Milford, Patrick  E.  Sweeney. 

Millbury, John  R.  Greenwood. 

Millis, Horace  M.  Cushman. 

Millville, C.  R.  Day. 

Milton, Philip  M.  Reynolds. 

Monroe, Carl  W.  Kingsley. 

Monson, Charles  L.  Ricketts. 

Montague, E.  L.  Bartlett. 

Nahant, Dana  A.  Sanborn. 

Nantucket, Walter  H.  Burgess. 

Natick, Judge  M.  F.  Kennedy 

596 


Neetlham, 
New  Bedford, 
New  Braintree, 
New  Salem, 
Newbury, 
Newburyport, 
Newton,    . 
Norfolk,    . 
North  Adams, 
North  Andover, 
North  Attleboroug' 
North  Brookfield, 
North  Reading, 
Northampton, 
Northborough, 
Northbridge,   '. 
Northfield, 
Norton,     . 
Norwood, 


Howard  A.  Crossnian. 
Henry  H.  Crapo. 
Harry  D.  Pollard. 
E.  F.  Stowell. 
Richard  T.  Noyes. 
Hon.  Moody  Kimball. 
Oliver  M.  Fisher. 
Arthur  M.  Sumner. 
Hon.  Carlton  T.  Phelps. 
Isaac  Osgood. 
Andrew  Morris. 
Thomas  G.  Richards. 
Leslie  A.  Nichols. 
"William  1).  Mandell. 
Alfred  Thomas. 
Henry  A.  Owen. 
Charles  S.  Warner. 
Vinton  I.  Reynolds. 
Albin  K.  Parker. 


Oak  Bluffs, 
Oakham,  . 
Orange, 
Orleans,     . 
Otis,  . 
Oxford, 


Ezekiel  H.  Matthews. 
Harry  B.  Parker. 
Hervey  S.  Dawley. 
George  S.  Hall. 
Robert  M.  Clark. 
Charles  N.  Turner. 


Palmer, 

Paxton, 

Peabody, 

Pelham,     . 

Pembroke, 

Pepperell, 

Petersham, 

Phillipston, 

Pittsfield, 

Plainville, 

Plymouth, 

Ply  mp  ton, 

Princeton, 

Provincetown, 


Charles  Le  Gro. 
Henry  H.  Pike. 
George  E.  Hayes. 
E.  P.  Bartlett. 
AVilliam  A.  Howard. 
Joseph  A.  Saunders. 
Daniel  Broderiek. 
John  Cotton. 
Daniel  England. 
Millard  S.  Bines. 
George  W.  Bradford. 
Lloyd  D.  Wright. 
Raymond  J.  Gregory 
Edwin  N.  Paine. 


Quincy, Perley  E.  Barbour. 


o97 


Randolph, 

Reading,   . 

Revere, 

Richmond, 

Rochester, 

Rockland, 

Rockport, 

Rowe, 

Rowley,    . 

Royalston, 

Russell, 

Rutland,  . 


Mark  B.  Claff. 
A.  Newell  Howes. 
Robert  Pirie. 
Charles  D.  Benton. 
Charles  R.  Dexter. 
A.  I.  Randall. 
Edgar  Knowlton. 
Thatcher  R.  Raymond. 
J.  W.  Dummer. 
Loren  V.  Sampson. 
W.  O.  Johnson. 
Louis  M.  HanflF. 


Salem, 

Salisbury, 

Sandwich, 

Saugus, 

Savoy, 

Scituate,   . 

Sharon, 

Sheffield,  . 

Shelburne, 

Sherborn, 

Shirley, 

Shrewsbury, 

Somerset, 

Somerville, 

South  Deerfield, 

South  Hadley, 

Southampton, 

Southborough, 

Southbridge, 

South  wick, 

Spencer,    . 

Springfield, 

Sterling,    . 

Stockbridge, 

Stoneham, 

Stoughton, 

Sturbridge, 

Sudbury,  . 

Sunderland, 

Sutton, 

Swansea,  . 


Alvah  P.  Thompson. 
George  W.  Buswell. 
George  B.  Lapham. 
Frederick  L.  Sawyer. 
H.  H.  Fitzroy. 
William  E.  Supple. 
Ernest  C.  Church. 
Alfred  O.  Tower. 
Leander  Bird. 
Arthur  R.  Wright. 
Edward  S.  Pratt. 
H.  A.  Maynard. 
Fernald  L.  Hanson. 
Fred  M.  Carr. 
James  Campbell. 
Harry  E.  Hanks. 
Charles  Graves. 
James  E.  O'Leary. 
John  G.  Clarke. 
A.  R.  Webb. 
Charles  M.  Durell. 
Edwin  A.  Carter. 
Harrison  W.  Rugg. 
James  H.  Punderson. 
Ralph  R.  Patch. 
James  Lehan. 
Joseph  La  Flame. 
Charles  H.  Way. 
C.  F.  Clark. 
Charles  N.  Woodbury. 
F.  L.  Gardner. 


598 


Taunton,  . 

William  J.  Davison. 

Tern  pi  cton, 

Robert  T.  Bourn. 

Tewksbury, 

Wilbur  A.  Patten. 

Tisbury,    . 

Edward  C.  Lord. 

Topsfiekl, 

Leroy  Gleason. 

Townsend, 

A.  Dudley  Bagley. 

Truro, 

I.  M.  Small. 

Tyngsborough, 

Chester  II.  Queen. 

Tyringham, 

George  R.  Warren. 

Upton, 

William  H.  Miskell. 

Uxbridge, 

James  Fisher. 

Wakefield, 

Dr.  Curtis  L.  Sopher. 

Walpole,    . 

Henry  M.  Stoweli. 

Waltham, 

Joseph  P.  Morrisey. 

Ware, 

Charles  C.  Hitchcock 

War  eh  am, 

Frank  A.  Besse. 

Warren,     . 

Frank  E.  Gleason. 

Watertown, 

Frederick  H.  Robie. 

Wayland, 

William  S.  Lovell. 

Webster,   . 

Edgar  S.  Hill. 

Wellesley, 

F.  C.  Leslie. 

Wellfleet, 

S.  F.  Porch. 

Wendell,    . 

E.  S.  Putnam. 

West  Boylston, 

Walter  E.  Clark. 

West  Bridgewater, 

C.  P.  Kendall. 

West  Brookfield, 

George  A.  Johnson. 

West  Newbury, 

Daniel  Cooney. 

West  Springfield, 

A.  H.  Remington. 

West  Stockbridge, 

James  S.  Moore. 

Westborough,  . 

George  H.  Woodman. 

Westfield, 

Frank  Grant. 

Westford, 

Julian  A.  Cameron. 

Westminster,    . 

Frank  A.  Miller. 

Weston,     . 

Arthur  T.  Johnson. 

Westport, 

Charles  R.  Talhnan. 

Weymouth, 

Henry  Tilden. 

Whately,  . 

Montville  L.  Crofts. 

Whitman, 

Benjamin  S.  Atwood. 

Wilbraham, 

Fred  W.  Green. 

Williamsburg, 

Albert  S.  Hills. 

Williamstown, 

F.  E.  Moore. 

Wilmington,     . 

Charles  C.  Alden. 

599 


Winchendon, 

Winchester, 

Windsor,  . 

Winthrop, 

Woburn,    . 

Worcester, 

Wrentham, 


Dr.  J.  G.  Henry. 
Jere  A.  Downs. 
W.  C.  Estes. 
Hugh  W.  Roberts,  Jr. 
Elmer  E.  Silver. 
Thomas  H.  Gage. 
George  L.  Dodd. 


Yarmouth, Charles  R.  Howes. 


600 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


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A  A      000  292  181     5 


